Falkirk babysitter gave kids a lift home while he was five times over the legal drink drive limit

Falkirk Sheriff Court heard Richard Dunn (30) was also driving the van – with the children in it – while he was banned for another offence.

Dunn, Adam Street, Falkirk, pled guilty to drink driving in Main Street, Bainsford on August 8. He gave a reading of 109 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood, when the legal limit is 22 microgrammes.

He also admitted driving while disqualified and with no insurance.

Procurator fiscal depute Heather Galbraith said: “The police saw the vehicle travel through a red light making no attempt to stop. They signalled to the driver, who was the accused, to stop, and they spoke to him.

“He was asked to step out of the vehicle, and the police officers noticed he was smelling strongly of alcohol."

Dunn later admitted to social workers that he'd had two children, who he was looking after, in the back of his white Citroen Berlingo van at the time he was stopped.

Lynn Swan, defence solicitor, said: “During the course of lockdown he was assisting with the care of two children for their parents. Regrettably, on the day in question he was consuming alcohol and took the decision to take the children home.

“He's aware that was very stupid.”

Sheriff James Macdonald told Dunn his decision to drive the children home while so drunk was “frankly appalling”.

He added: "It was bad enough to be driving with such a level of alcohol in your system. It is all the worse that at that time you had children with you, and only a few months prior you had been disqualified from driving.

“These matters represent your third drink-driving conviction. There are no material mitigating circumstances. Not only do you require to be punished, but plainly the public need to be protected from you.

“No other method but prison is appropriate in this case.”

He jailed Dunn for 120 days, and banned him from driving for four years.