Police chase drink-driver jailed
A man who led police on a high-speed chase while he was nearly five times over the legal alcohol limit has been jailed for 13 months.
Murray Fotheringham, 33, was found with empty wine and beer bottles in his van after driving through Dundee at more than 60mph.
A court was told the chase only ended when Fotheringham crashed his van into an Audi TT.
Fotheringham was also banned from driving for four years.
Perth Sheriff Court was told that the painter and decorator crashed his van and ran off to hide in bushes before the police captured him.
Officers found an empty bottle of wine and three bottles of beer in the damaged van.
Depute fiscal Bill Kermode told the court that officers started giving chase when Fotheringham drove across a roundabout and ignored traffic lights.
Mr Kermode said: "Continuing at speeds of more than 60mph, the accused turned from Rankine Street, without indicating, and into Inverary Terrace, at which point he lost control and collided with an Audi.
"He was traced by officers hiding within a garden and when spoken to his speech was slurred and he smelled of alcohol."
Fotheringham, of Dundee, admitted one charge of dangerous driving and a second charge of driving with excess alcohol on 7 August 2015.
Sheriff Lindsay Foulis told him: "You might expect that if someone was driving in that manner while they were nearly five times the limit their age might be 18 or 19, not 33.
"That sort of behaviour is totally unacceptable."