Ban reduced for fourth time drink driver

A SHETLAND driver who was caught over the alcohol limit for the fourth time received a lucky break in Lerwick Sheriff Court when his ban was reduced by one year.

On Wednesday Calum Jarmson admitted taking his girlfriend’s car from their home at Hazelbank, in Dunrossness in the early hours of 7 April and driving around 20 miles to Lerwick while just over the drink driving limit.

The 34 year old also pled guilty to driving while disqualified and without insurance, as well as attempting to pervert the course of justice by giving the police a false name and address.

The court heard Jarmson’s concerned girlfriend called the police when he left the house at 1.20am and it took little more than one hour to track him down and lock him in the cells at Lerwick police station, where he remained for two nights.

Despite initially attempting to deny who he was, Jarmson was quick to cooperate once he was in custody, according to procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie.

Defence agent Tommy Allan pleaded for his client to kept out of jail as he needed to fulfil contracts for his new business.

Mr Allan’s pleas went further when Sheriff Philip Mann banned him from driving for four years for both the drink driving and for driving while disqualified, as Jarmson had previously been banned for four years in 2009. The news bans were to run concurrently.

Mr Allan argued that his client should be allowed to reduce his drink driving ban by completing an alcohol rehabilitation course, however for this to have any impact the sheriff would need to cut his four year ban for driving while disqualified as well.

Sheriff Philip Mann considered the matter, and then told Jarmson he was giving him “a lucky break”, amending the second ban to three years so he could reduce his drink driving ban by one year if he completed the Vernon Mansfield drink driving course.

The sheriff added that even though a custodial sentence would have been “uppermost in anyone’s mind” for a fourth drink driving offence, having read a social inquiry report he felt he could punish him with 200 hours community service and a £600 fine.