Fish factory worker banned and fined for failing to stop car and refusing to be breathalysed

A Latvian fish factory worker was banned from driving for a year and fined £500 when he appeared at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Monday afternoon.

Vladimirs Makrjakovs, 21, of North Road, Lerwick, pleaded guilty to not stopping his car when asked to do so by police and to failing to provide two breath specimens at Lerwick Police Station.

He had been driving erratically at North Road and Commercial Road in the town on Sunday and had been “swerving all over the road, though not at any great speed”. Later at the police station, he had not provided breath samples and had been “playing the fool”, said procurator fiscal Duncan MacKenzie.

Defence agent Tommy Allan explained that Makrjakovs had been drinking after his long-term girlfriend broke off their relationship that day. He said his client was “very remorseful” over his actions.

Makrjakovs had his driving ban reduced from 18 months to a year and his fines reduced from £800 to £500 on account of his early guilty plea.