A former senior policeman caused a head-on crash on one of Scotland’s most deadly roads.
Paul Dale, who worked his way from a constable to a position in the National Criminal Intelligence Service, escaped a driving ban despite admitting driving carelessly on the A9, near Faskally.
Perth Sheriff Court heard the 65-year-old’s “momentary lapse in concentration” caused his Hyundai i40 to drift across the centre line and smash into an oncoming car driven by Victoria Price.
Dale was airlifted to Ninewells Hospital where he was found to have broken his leg in two places, as well as suffering breaks to his ribs, sternum and thumb.
While Ms Price walked away with a sprained ankle, Dale’s wife suffered a broken arm and a teenager suffered a neck injury.
Depute fiscal Lisa Marshall said: “Victoria Price was driving northbound in an Audi Q7 and was in convoy with family members.
“They became aware of the accused’s vehicle travelling south as it crossed over the centre line in to the northbound lane.
“Ms Price’s parents were in the car in front of her and they thought the accused’s vehicle was going to collide with them, but it missed. However, they knew it would collide with their daughter’s car, which it did.”
She added that witnesses said Dale did not appear to be speeding but “drifted” from one lane to the other.
Solicitor Stephen Dryden, defending, said his client had a long and unblemished career in the police service and has since moved on to work as a planning officer for Moray Council.
He urged Sheriff Lindsay Foulis not to disqualify Dale from driving as he needs his licence for work and family commitments.
He said: “He advises me that he has little recollection of how the incident came to happen but accepts his vehicle drifted over the line.”
He added that the three injured people in the Hyundai, including Dale, who arrived at court with a walking stick, were still undergoing treatment as a result of the crash.
Dale, of Kingston, Moray, pled guilty to driving carelessly on the A9, near Faskally, on October 9 by veering across the central line and colliding with another car, causing injury to the driver, and himself, and others.
Sheriff Foulis told Dale that his experience in the police should have made him more aware of the consequences of momentary lapses of judgment.
He endorsed Dale’s licence with eight penalty points and fined him £800.
