Police officer five times the drink drive limit on morning run to work
A police officer turned up for work at her headquarters and was breathalysed by colleagues for drink driving.
Allison Heap, of the Northern Division of Police Scotland, arrived in her car at 8am at the Old Perth Road complex in Inverness on October 1, last year.
She parked her car in the car park and went to her office.
But Inverness Sheriff Court was told earlier today that colleagues smelled alcohol off her breath.
When she was tested almost two hours later at 9.55am, her reading was over five times the legal limit for alcohol in her breath.
Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald heard that the 51 year old mother of two from Maryburgh had 115 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath when the limit is 22mgs.
Fiscal depute Roderick Urquhart told the court: "She drove into the divisional headquarters car park and it became apparent when she spoke to colleagues that she had been drinking. So the usual breath test was carried out."
Defence solicitor John MacColl said on Heap's behalf: "She is a serving police officer and is currently suspended.
"She apologises for the error of judgement. There is no other particular plea of mitigation I can make.
"She has suffered medically as a result and is under the care of various doctors. She has also been referred for alcohol treatment."
Heap was fined £800 and banned from driving for 16 months. She agreed to pay it at £200 a month.
Heap was also facing an allegation of being drunk in charge of her vehicle at the same location on August 6.
She appeared from custody on August 7 and tendered a plea of not guilty.
A further hearing was ordered to coincide with the drink driving offence which had been due to go to trial.
However Mr MacColl explained that a guilty plea had been agreed beforehand and witnesses had been countermanded.
He told the Sheriff: "This is likely to progress to trial. The defence is that there was no likelihood of her driving. She had messaged a friend to pick her up at the end of her shift."
A further intermediate diet was fixed for November 12 with trial on December 19. The charge alleges that she was almost five times the legal limit at the time she was found in her vehicle.
The alcohol reading was 100mgs.
