A9 motorist was tracked by concerned driver
A drink driver was followed by another motorist for an hour an a half who kept police update on her location, Inverness Sheriff Court has been told.
Linda Kerr (51), from Avoch, was seen drifting in and out of both lanes of the A9 dual carriageway towards Milton of Leys,
She was followed for 90 minutes before being stopped by police.
Kerr, a former care worker of Burnfarm Cottages, Killen, needed help to conquer her drink problem, her solicitor Eilidh Macdonald said in court.
The accused was spotted at about 10.15pm on August 13 by another driver on the A9 who had concerns about her driving.
Fiscal depute Ross Carvel said another vehicle trying to overtake had to swerve to avoid a collision, and then saw Kerr apparently laughing when she was passed.
He said: "She ground to a halt at a green light then straddled both lanes going round a roundabout. The motorist followed her to Milton of Leys shopping centre where she swapped cars after staggering across the car park.
"The running commentary to police continued and at 10.22pm police saw her vehicle but she was not driving.
"They traced her in the other car about 11.40pm and a breath test showed she had 142 mgs of alcohol in her breath when the limit is 22mgs." Mr Carvel went on.
Sheriff David Sutherland rejected a crown motion for her £12,000 car to be forfeited.
Miss Macdonald said her client had "suffered great difficulties over the years" and developed a problem with alcohol.
She said: "She has taken steps to address it but this is a lady who needs help. She lives in a comparatively remote location, she has lost her job and plans to move into the Inverness area with the funds from the sale of her car to fund it."
Kerr was sentenced to 180 hours of unpaid work, was placed under social work supervision for two years and banned from driving for two years.
