A former Hearts football coach caught drink driving claimed he only got behind the wheel because his tyre had been slashed by teen thugs.
Maciej Najda was pulled over by police in Edinburgh after they spotted a tyre issue with his Volkswagen Passat.
Officers breathalysed the 24-year-old and found he was more than twice the legal limit.
Najda appeared at the city’s sheriff court on Thursday and pled guilty to drink driving on Drum Brae South on June 17 last year. He admitted having 54 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, the legal limit being 22mg.
Fiscal depute Callum Thomson said Najda told police he’d drank “half a beer” shortly before driving and apologised to them for committing the offence.
Defence agent Peter O’Neill, acting for Najda, said his client had been at a friend’s house when his tyre was slashed by teens.
Mr O’Neill said: “He was worried they were going to come back and he jumped into his car.
The solicitor said Najda had driven less than half-a-mile when the tyre drew the attention of police.
Mr O’Neill said Najda had been living in Edinburgh for a couple of years and worked as a goalkeeping coach with Hearts. His client had hoped to move to Manchester and pick up work with one of the city clubs, he added, but his plans fell through due to the pandemic.
Mr O’Neill said Najda, who is currently living in Reading, Berkshire, was returning to Poland to work as a football coach.
Sheriff John Cook banned Najda from driving for 14 months and fined him £500.
