Bare-knuckle boxer and actor Derek “Decca” Heggie narrowly avoided striking two road workers after leading police on a wild car chase from Dundee.
The YouTube star and former fighter claimed he was not the man responsible for driving a BMW dangerously on the night in question as he was busy recording a podcast in Montrose.
However, a sheriff rejected Heggie’s version of events and found him guilty after trial.
The case had a protracted history with the 40-year-old Heggie hauled into custody after being deported from the Philippines last December.
Police chase
Dundee Sheriff Court was told how police on patrol came across the BMW driving erratically in the Blackscroft area of the city at around 8.30pm, before heading back in that direction after going around the East Port roundabout.
PC Lewis Smith was driving the patrol car and followed the vehicle along Albert Street and Forfar Road, close to the Kingsway junction.
A Police National Computer (PNC) check found the car was registered to another man in Montrose, not Heggie.
PC Smith said he had a “clear and unobstructed” view of the driver after the vehicle pulled over for “five or six seconds” on Forfar Road before speeding off.
He told the court: “The manner of the driving caused the vehicle to break in a drift-like manner causing the back end to spin out.
“We began the initial pursuit phase.”
He activated lights and sirens and pursued the car the length of the Kingsway to the Scott Fyffe roundabout, a mile-and-a-half from the initial stop.
He said: “In my interpretation, the driving was extremely dangerous, erratic and had no regard for other road users or the public.”
Road traffic officers joined the chase across the Douglas area and towards the A92 in Arbroath.
The car struck traffic cones and came close to hitting two roadside workers, who had to take evasive action.
The BMW was lost to sight but Heggie was identified by police as the man behind the wheel.
PC Smith, an ex-boxer, admitted he was a “fan” of Heggie’s podcast and had read an interview with him in The Courier.
Accused in ‘can’t drive’ claim
Heggie, from Carlisle, gave evidence and explained his alibi defence as having spent the evening recording and uploading a podcast from a friend’s garden close to his home on Montrose’s Union Street.
He told the court he had finished recording at around 8pm and uploaded it to YouTube but no evidence of the video’s existence was provided.
“I know nothing about that vehicle or the fella that owns it,” Heggie said during cross-examination.
“I can’t drive. I failed my driving test and I certainly don’t have the quality of driving to get away from the police like that.
“I do not know why the police would say it was me.
“Many people look like me, tattoos, muscle-bound. It’s 100% untrue.”
Heggie, who has starred in several low-budget crime films including a role in The Corrupted alongside Timothy Spall and Hugh Bonneville, said he simply went home to bed after finishing the podcast.
Guilty
Sheriff Garry Sutherland found Heggie guilty of driving dangerously on March 15 2021 on Forfar Road, Kingsway East, Douglas Road, Drumgeith Road, Baldovie Road and the A92 near Muirdrum and failing to stop for police officers.
Sheriff Sutherland said: “This case almost entirely comes down to credibility and reliability and whether or not the Crown have proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused was driving the motor car.
“I found the police officers credible and reliable, particularly in identification.
“The accused’s version of events I do not accept.”
Sentence was deferred on Heggie, who has not offended since 2013, until next month and he was remanded in custody while social work reports are prepared.
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