A man drove the wrong way down a one-way street before leading Angus police on an over-the-limit chase, a court has heard.
Gints Leimanis (35), of Carseburn Road, Lunanhead, admitted charges of dangerous driving and driving while over the legal alcohol limit when he appeared at Forfar Sheriff Court on Thursday.
Depute fiscal Nicola Gillespie said the accused was the registered keeper of the car in question, a silver BMW, and had been seen in an intoxicated state next to a Forfar pub.
She added: ”At about 1am on August 3, officers were on routine patrol in West High Street, Forfar, in a marked car.
”They were informed by pub staff there that the accused was under the influence of alcohol. They were told he had gotten out of the car across the road.”
The CCTV control room were asked to monitor his movements as officers were called away on a pressing matter.
A short time later, camera operators saw Leimanis get into the car via the driver’s seat and he was alone.
Two officers in a patrol car then saw him drive off and head east on West High Street, before turning left into the one-way system, against the flow of traffic.
The officers turned on their siren and indicated for him to pull over, at which point he accelerated along the street. The patrol car had to accelerate up to 60mph to keep up.
Ms Gillespie added that Leimanis was seen to go on to Brechin Road, then the B9128, then on to the A90 southbound.
She said: ”The speed was in excess of 90 miles per hour, before the accused turned off for Forfar, then on to the Kirriemuir flyover, and officers were driving in excess of 100 miles per hour.”
They saw him straddling the central line of the carriageway, before turning off at Battledykes.
It was there, the court heard, that officers gave up the chase ”for safety reasons”.
Another pair of police officers found the vehicle abandoned, smoking, at Meadows Farm near Birkenbush.
The accused was seen climbing over a wall in the distance. He was pursued and apprehended.
Defence agent Bob Bruce said his client sent money home to Lithuania on a regular basis and worked in forestry.
”My client had a drink at home and then at the club, before he saw the police and panicked,” he said. ”He is very, very contrite and says this will not happen again.”
Sheriff Kevin Veal fined Leimanis a total of £700 and endorsed his licence, banning him from the road for 18 months.