A Fife man was caught behind the wheel while serving a three-year driving ban for mowing down a woman in the street with a quad bike.
Aiden Paterson, 22, was jailed in December 2019 for smashing into Cheryl Scott – leaving her seriously injured and in a wheelchair – when she tried to break up a fight.
A witness said Paterson had sped towards her at 40 to 50mph, though Paterson claimed it was no more than 25mph.
He admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and without insurance, and breaching a bail condition.
A sheriff jailed him for 40 months and banned him from driving for three years.
Paterson appeared this week at Dunfermline Sheriff Court via video link from prison.
He admitted driving a car in Cowdenbeath High Street while disqualified and without insurance, on November 7 2022.
Mercy mission for drunk pals
Defence lawyer David Bell told the court the vehicle was, to his client’s understanding, owned by a friend of his in the Dunfermline area.
The friend and others had gone to Leven and were boozing so Paterson was asked to drive them back.
Mr Bell said the vehicle attracted police interest and they identified Paterson from CCTV and established he was a disqualified driver.
The lawyer said Paterson was released from his prison sentence in April 2021 and according to a social work report, his offending rate has slowed considerably.
He said his client, of Leven Road in Kennoway, had a “tough upbringing” and lost his father while serving his last sentence.
The three-year driving ban was due to expire in December 2022, approximately a month after this incident.
‘Turn your life around’
Sheriff Peter Anderson sentenced Paterson to a 12-month restriction of liberty order and told him to to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work as part of a two-year community payback order.
The sheriff also banned him from driving for a further three years.
He told Paterson someone of his age will find the curfew “difficult and frustrating,” adding: “It’s time for you to turn your life around and stop messing up”.
Cheryl Scott, 45, suffered a complex leg fracture when she was hit by Paterson’s bike Methil in July 2019.
She previously told how she feared she would suffer lifelong pain because of her injury.
For the latest court cases across Tayside and Fife, join our Courts Facebook page.
