A have-a-go hero carried out a citizen’s arrest on a drunk motorist who was driving so erratically his car wheel came off near a Dundee primary school.
Stanley Marnie was five times over the drink-driving limit when the Ford Mondeo came to an abrupt halt on Baffin Street, where Glebelands Primary School is located.
The 31-year-old had no insurance and was disqualified from driving at the time, having been recently released from prison following a conviction for a similar offence.
A passer-by restrained Marnie, who became aggressive when approached, until police arrived on the scene.
Depute fiscal Gavin Burton, prosecuting at Dundee Sheriff Court, said: “Shortly after parking his vehicle, the witness became aware of a Ford Mondeo driving in an erratic manner.
“He observed the vehicle further down Watson Street, where it stopped for a few minutes, and then observed it driving towards him, in a similar erratic manner.
“He heard a bang and it stopped in the middle of the road.
“He observed the side wheel was missing. The driver was the accused and there was a male passenger.
“The witness enquired if they were OK and the accused and the passenger became aggressive.”
Marnie then tried to get out of the vehicle and the passer-by called the police, at which point the passenger fled the scene.
The witness restrained Marnie until the authorities arrived to carry out a breath test, which showed he had 117 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, the legal limit being 22 microgrammes.
When arrested, Marnie initially denied he’d been driving the car.
The court heard the vehicle belonged to his uncle, who was in the passenger seat, and that Marnie had intended to drive a “short distance” of one-and-a-half miles.
His depression and problems with alcohol had been behind the offence, the court was told.
Marnie, of Kilberry Street in Dundee, pled guilty to the offences and was jailed for ten months, as well as being disqualified from driving for 32 months.
Addressing him, Sheriff Lorna Drummond said: “You’ve got a pretty bad record overall.
“Your last conviction was analogous and you were in jail. You were released in January and you have committed an offence again. I have to take into account the (alcohol) reading – it was high.”
