Arrest warrant granted for man who walked out of Perth Sheriff Court before his case called to go shopping

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Police were last week instructed to arrest a Fife man due to be sentenced for driving dangerously through Perth while drunk after he apparently walked out of court to go shopping.Sean Downs previously pled guilt to three charges stating he drove an Audi without insurance along various main streets in the city at excessive speeds last October while he was almost two-and-a-half times the drink driving limit including the High Street, Kinnoull Street and Mill Street.He admitted driving while the proportion of alcohol on his breath was 53 microgrammes per 100 millilitres - 31 microgrammes too high - and speeding along seven different streets on October 10, 2021 as well as driving the wrong way down a one-way street and going through a number of red lights.He further admitted ignoring police officers travelling in a vehicle said to have pursued him along the same streets with their blue lights activated, although a plea of not guilty to a fourth charge alleging he failed to stop when signalled to do so by a uniformed officer was accepted by the Crown.Sheriff Gillian Wade was scheduled to consider the case and potentially impose a sentence on Downs at Perth Sheriff Court on Wednesday last week.However when his case called defence solicitor John McLaughlin was forced to explain he had been in court earlier in the day but had nipped off to go to a shop.

A distinctly unimpressed sheriff Wade retorted: “He’s gone to the shop? Warrant to apprehend.”Downs (33), of Roods Square, Inverkeithing, will now be tracked down by police and ordained to appear in court at a later date to be sentenced.