Taxi driver blocked police cars’ emergency response because of previous red light fineA taxi driver blocked police as they sped through Perth streets in response to a 999 call about a violent incident.
Colin McFarlane, 49, obstructed two police cars and a van as officers tried to carry out an emergency response during the early hours of the morning.
The city’s sheriff court was told that McFarlane had a chip on his shoulder because he felt he had been stitched up by police during an earlier incident.
The court was told his driving was so obstructive that the third police vehicle gave up trying to get past him because it was too dangerous.
Fiscal depute Stuart Richardson told the court the incident happened after police control alerted the officers to a violent incident at 1.10am.
When the responding officers drove up behind McFarlane they operated their blue lights and sirens but he did not move over to allow them to pass.
McFarlane, of Wallacetown Farm Cottage, Bridge of Earn, was not stopped at the time because the officers were all busy dealing with the violent incident, but he was traced later in the day.
Solicitor Paul Ralph, defending, said McFarlane had been given points previously after pulling through a red light to let officers past - only for them to slow down and charge him instead.
“They booked him for running a red light. That has had a bearing on this. He got himself into a fankle in how to deal with the vehicles behind him,” Mr Ralph said.
Sheriff Lindsay Foulis noted McFarlane already had six penalty points on his licence and imposed a further eight, making him liable to be banned under totting up procedures.
He fined the taxi driver, who admitted driving carelessly on May 1 last year, £500 and deferred sentence to hear mitigation in regard to disqualification.
source:
http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/ ... e-1.927853
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