Expensive emergency stop

A PENSIONER from Sullom tried to stop another vehicle in its tracks after wrongly believing its occupants had stolen his outboard motors, Lerwick Sheriff Court heard on Wednesday.

William Johnson, aged 73, of Clothister, admitted swerving into the path of another vehicle on the A970 in Brae and performing an emergency stop, causing the vehicle to swerve to avoid collision, on 14 April.

Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said the “bizarre” incident happened after the man’s grandson, who was in his car, told him that he thought the occupants of an oncoming vehicle had stolen the motors.

Taking the law into his hands, Johnson thought he could force the other car to stop.

Defence agent Liam McAllister said Johnson had been “acting in the best interests” and had taken his grandson’s assertions at face value.

“He accepts he got caught up in the situation,” the solicitor added.

Sheriff Philip Mann told Johnson that he should have taken the car’s registration number and phoned the police instead of trying to stop the vehicle.

He gave him seven penalty points and fined him £300.