A DALMUIR man was caught behind the wheel while more than three times the drink-drive limit – while he was banned from driving.

A court was told Stephen McIlveney had been banned from driving for two years in 2009 – but had never re-sat his test to enable him to regain his licence.

But the 34-year-old failed a roadside breath test after police noticed a car being driven suspiciously in Stewart Street on the night of August 5.

Meghan Glancey, prosecuting, told Dumbarton Sheriff Court on Friday police had noticed a car striking a kerb at speed while being manoeuvred into a parking bay at around 12.30am.

Officers approached the driver, McIlveney, and noticed he smelled strongly of alcohol. He provided a positive test at the roadside, and later gave two breath samples at Clydebank police office.

The reading on the lower of the two samples was 71 microgrammes of alcohol per 100ml of breath; the limit in Scotland is 22 microgrammes.

Ms Glancey said: “The accused was disqualified in 2009 for two years, with a requirement to re-sit his driving test, which hadn’t been done.”

McIlveney, of Burns Street, appeared in court for sentencing after admitting charges of driving while drunk, disqualified and without insurance.

Gail Campbell, defending, said McIlveney had “visited this court on a fairly regular basis” as a younger man, but had not been in trouble for some time prior to the incident.

Referring to her client’s driving ban, Ms Campbell said: “He had a provisional licence and was taken out for lessons by members of his family.

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“On that evening he made an extremely foolish decision. He knows this is a serious matter, and he is extremely embarrassed, given that he has managed to keep himself out of trouble for so many years.”

As a direct alternative to custody, Sheriff John Hamilton imposed a 20-month ban on McIlveney for driving while drunk, and admonished him on the other two charges.

McIlveney was told when the 20-month ban ran out, he would still be required to re-sit the test before getting his licence back, as required by his punishment for the 2009 offence.