A mourner who drove to a funeral while almost three times the legal limit has been banned from the road for five years.
John Finlayson was caught by police on the A9 between Dunblane in Perth as he made his way to Aberdeen.
On Wednesday, Perth Sheriff Court heard other motorists reported the 47-year-old following concerns over his erratic driving on March 13.
At a previous hearing, Finlayson’s solicitor had revealed that her client had been travelling from his home in Lytham St Anne’s, near Blackpool, to Aberdeen for the funeral of a close friend.
Before undergoing the journey he had drunk alcohol. As he made his way north, he stopped for an alcoholic “refreshment” an act described by his solicitor as “poor judgment”.
Appearing for him on Wednesday, defence agent Mike Tavendale said Finlayson was registered disabled due to ongoing back problems.
He explained that his client had undergone several operations and was now in receipt of disability allowance.
“One thing that has brought home to him the seriousness of this incident is the concern that he has caused his wife,” he added.
Finlayson admitted that on March 13, on the A9 Dunblane to Perth road, he drove with excess alcohol (102 mics). The legal limit is 35 mics.
As well as imposing the lengthy disqualification, Sheriff Robert McCreadie also placed the accused on a community payback order.
For the next year he will be supervised and ordered to take part in 14 weekly sessions with an alcohol counsellor.
Because of the his ongoing back problems, it was agreed the accused would not have to be made subject to a community service order.
He told Finlayson, “You have abused alcohol all your adult life and you are now finding it problematic. I have expressed my concern in this court before about what is a long-standing problem with alcohol.
“This is your second drink-driving conviction, so I am content that it is serious enough to merit such a disposal. If you fail to comply with any of these requirements, this court will fine you.”