Drink driver is jailed and gets 10-year ban

A man has been told there was “no alternative” to a custodial sentence after he was found guilty of being at the wheel while close to five times the drink driving limit.

Andrew Goodlad, 55, of Harbour Street in Lerwick was jailed for six months and banned from driving for 10 years when he appeared for sentence at Lerwick Sheriff Court.

He was convicted of the offence following a trial in the town before sheriff Philip Mann on 19th March.

At that time, Goodlad had denied drink driving his Peugeot 306 from North Lochside to his home at Harbour Street on 3rd August last year. But the sheriff was not taken in by his story, and Goodlad was ordered to appear again today for sentence.

Today, defence agent Liam McAlister said Goodlad was “very keen” to stress that he accepted the verdict of the court.

He alluded to a background report which was ordered due to a previous conviction. But he said Goodlad had a “very limited record” for a man of his age.

He said Goodlad had suffered from “considerable difficulties with alcohol all his adult life,” but that he had worked hard to address his drink problem.

“He has all but ceased to consume alcohol,” Mr McAlister said.

The defence agent urged sheriff Mann to impose a community payback order.

However, sheriff Mann, following a short adjournment to consider his verdict, said he had no alternative but to send Goodlad to jail.

“There is no doubt Mr McAlister has made a very eloquent plea to preserve your liberty, but in committing this offence you posed a very significant risk to the safety of the public,” he said.

“Your blood alcohol count was quite a bit more than four times the level. That is an astonishing amount of alcohol.”

The sheriff said he was also taking into consideration a previous conviction for the same kind of offending, albeit as far back as 2002.

“It seems to me there is no alternative to a custodial sentence.”