Wishaw driver's double trouble after near miss with police vehicle

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A driver found himself in double trouble after a near miss with a police vehicle.Officers discovered a blade in Christopher Mavin's car and tests showed he was driving with excess cocaine in his system.Mavin, 38, of Ness Street, Pather, was fined £380 and banned from driving for a year at Hamilton Sheriff Court.He admitted unlawful possession of a Stanley knife blade and being over the drug-driving limit in Tarbert Avenue, Pather, on February 7 last year.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android An allegation that Mavin drove carelessly into the path of a marked police vehicle, causing the driver to take evasive action, was dropped.His not guilty plea was also accepted to a charge that he culpably and recklessly put officers searching his car at risk of injury by hiding the blade in a light fixture.Defence lawyer Tom Watters said Mavin's explanation for having the blade was that he used it to cut material at work, stressing: "There is nothing to suggest he has a propensity for violence."His client, the solicitor added, was surprised that there was cocaine in his system when he was driving.Sheriff Edward Gilroy noted that Mavin was "just over the limit" and imposed the minimum ban.Regarding the blade, he told the accused: "I will accept your explanation which was provided to the police at the time.