Ban for driver who told 999: ‘I nearly killed someone’

A 34-year-old man phoned 999 and said he had almost killed three people after a serious near-miss in Scalloway.

Oran Jamieson, of East Voe, Scalloway, admitted trying three times to overtake a van at the Scord in Scalloway on 19th November 2022 at almost 2pm.

Jamieson then pulled over to the side of the read and lay down before headbutting the ground repeatedly.

He called 999 on himself and said: “I nearly killed someone, I nearly killed her.”

Lerwick Sheriff Court heard on Thursday that Jamieson had twice tried and failed to overtake the van before attempting it a third time.

He ended up side-by-side with the van in the face of oncoming traffic – with the van driver having to brake “extremely harshly” and to pull of the road to avoid a collision.

Procurator fiscal Duncan MacKenzie said the situation became “a bit bizarre” after the near-miss.

Jamieson pulled over to the side as well and reversed back to the woman he had almost just been involved in a crash with.

“He was distraught, he was lying down on the ground, headbutting the ground and apologising to the woman.”

On the 999 call Jamieson could be heard saying: ” I was in such a rush, I was trying to get to my uncle.

“Three different people I nearly killed outright.”

He admitted to police he had been driving dangerously.

Defence agent Gregor Kelly said Jamieson had shown the “appropriate level of remorse” at the time.

“This was a monumental misjudgement on his part,” he added.

Mr Kelly said Jamieson had been trying to keep up with his uncle, and the incident had been “borne of some frustration”.

Sheriff Ian Cruickshank said that even in the best of weather overtaking a vehicle at the Scord was “not a particularly clever idea”.

He fined Jamieson £540 and banned him from driving for 14 months.

Jamieson will also have to sit an extended driving test to regain his licence.