Motorist fled police on Trossachs road in a desperate bid to evade a breath test

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A motorist who drove off on a Callander road in a bid to evade being breathalysed by police was this week fined almost £1200.Officers had pursued James Martindale in their police car for a mile along Invertrossachs Road with blue sirens activated on Sunday, May 28, this year.Martindale had admitted a charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice as well as driving a car without an MOT test certificate.Stirling Sheriff Court was told on Wednesday that police had received a call at 11.08am that day informing them that someone had got into a van at Invertrossachs Road, Callander, and drove towards the town centre, after drinking a can of beer.Fiscal depute Sean Iles added that the van was traced at 11.45am in Invertrossachs Road.The officers stopped the van and the driver switched the engine off.The driver, Martindale, however, refused to wind the window down or open the door of the van, Mr Iles said, and would not remove the keys from the ignition.

Click here for more news and sport from the Stirling area. Martindale gave his details to the officers who informed him he would be subject to a breath test.Mr Iles added: “As the police were collecting the [breathalyser] device, the accused started the engine and drove off quickly.”Police pursued the van along Invertrossachs Road and stopped the vehicle after it had travelled for a mile.When Martindale was cautioned and charged he replied: ‘I’ll save it for court’.His agent said that Martindale had co-operated with a breath test at Falkirk police office – and had not “fallen foul” of any further Road Traffic Act offences.The lawyer pointed out that Martindale’s employer had provided the court with a good letter of reference and that the 38-year-old Bonnybridge dad of