Kinloss Barracks sapper banned from driving

A soldier has been banned from driving for three and a half years after he got behind the wheel while four times over the legal alcohol limit.

Cameron Stone, 21, a sapper based at Kinloss Barracks, appeared at Elgin Sheriff Court where he admitted driving while intoxicated and obstructing police officers during his arrest.

The court heard that at around 10.20pm on August 11 last year, a witness, who was on the phone, saw Stone leave The Carlton Hotel in Forres.

Believing he was drunk, they watched as he got into a car and drove away.

About ten minutes later, Stone arrived at Kinloss Barracks, where a duty officer allowed him inside but instructed him to return to the guard room after suspecting he had been drinking.

Police arrived at around 12.30am and conducted a breath test, which he failed.

As officers attempted to arrest him, Stone flailed his arms and collapsed to the ground. He was restrained and placed in the back of a police vehicle, where he admitted: "I am p****d."

Defence solicitor Grant Daglish told the court that Stone is unlikely to remain in his position at Kinloss Barracks following the incident.

He said his client recognised his actions had been "stupid" and apologised for the incident.

Mr Daglish added that Stone, who is not from the north-east of Scotland, had turned to binge drinking as a way of coping with loneliness and being far from family and friends.

Sheriff David Harvie disqualified Stone from driving for a period of three and a half years and fined him £150.

He also placed him under an 18 month supervision order and ordered him to complete 210 hours of unpaid work within six months.