A boozed-up yob was caught drink driving at almost five times the legal limit with three of his pals in his motor.
Conor Kerr, 21, was at the wheel of his VW Golf when cops snared him at Cross Arthurlie Street, Barrhead, on July 2, because of his ropey driving.
Paisley Sheriff Court heard Kerr had been so upset at losing his job during lockdown that he hit the bottle.
Kerr, of Creagmhor, Barrhead, appeared for sentencing after pleading guilty to a charge of driving his vehicle while the proportion of alcohol on his breath was 107 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath, and the legal limit is 22mcg.
Defence agent Rhona Lynch said the first offender had been left devastated when he was told his job was coming to an end.
She said: “He was suffering during the lockdown.
“He lost his job when his employer couldn’t afford to keep him on.
“He was very close to completing his apprenticeship, very close to completing his trade test, when he lost his job.
“He will now lose his licence and this will have a detrimental effect on his employment
situation.”
Ms Lynch added Kerr, who lives with his parents, has no previous convictions and very much regretted his actions.
She said: “He is a young man of 21 with no previous offending.
“This matter was very much an isolated incident.
“It was out of character for him.
“It is a very unfortunate situation.
“He is deeply regretful and fully accepts responsibility for his conduct.”
She urged the court to show her client leniency, adding he had learned his lesson, and would be unlikely to repeat the offence.
Sheriff Lindsey Kooner voiced concern over the “high reading” Kerr recorded during breath testing procedures.
After studying background reports, she said: “To his credit, there is acknowledgement of the gravity and the dangers he caused.
“However, he comes before the court as a young man of 21 with no previous convictions, but he made an extremely foolish decision during the event in question.”
She told him: “You have expressed your shame and embarrassment and acknowledged the dangers caused by making such decisions.”
She disqualified him for 18 months and fined him £380, and also advised him to pass the drink driving rehabilitation course before getting behind the wheel again.
