Surprise as Pc escapes speed ban

The officer was fined at Stirling Sheriff Court for the offence

An off-duty police officer caught driving at more than 105mph after a row with his wife has avoided a ban.

Grampian Pc Alan Bothwell, of Stonehaven, was caught on the M9 near Stirling in September last year.

Bothwell, 37, was fined £600 and had six penalty points imposed after he admitted speeding, at Stirling Sheriff Court.

One motoring organisation said Sheriff Paul Arthurson's decision not to ban him was "surprising".

He was driving north in a Vauxhall Astra SXi when he was detected by officers from Central Scotland Police.

There's no excuse for driving at this sort of speed, and the excuse offered is one that doesn't really cut much ice Neil Greig IAM Motoring Trust

Depute fiscal Gail Russell said road conditions were good, traffic was light, and the daylight was good at the time of the offence.

John McLeod, defending, produced letters from two doctors detailing Bothwell's depression.

Mr McLeod said Bothwell, who is now divorced, had been driving north from his mother's home in Glasgow, where he had been staying, after having an argument on the phone with his now ex-wife.

He said Bothwell was upset and in "an enraged mood" after the acrimonious phone call, and had allowed his speed to creep up.

He said Bothwell had been off work for eight months suffering from depression, and would have to face an internal disciplinary enquiry at Grampian Police in addition to any penalty the court imposed.

'Dangerous speed'

Sheriff Arthurson stopped short of imposing a driving ban after hearing that the officer had been off work suffering from depression.

Neil Greig, assistant director of the IAM Motoring Trust, said the fact that the officer was upset made the offence more serious, not less.

He said: "It does seem surprising that in a case like this that a ban wasn't considered.

"There's no excuse for driving at this sort of speed, and the excuse offered is one that doesn't really cut much ice.

"It's a dangerous speed for to be going at for anybody, and perhaps even more so because of the fact he was going at this high speed while under psychological pressure and perhaps not concentrating on his driving."

He added: "It's good to hear that Central Scotland Police are catching a wide range of people when they are breaking the speed limit in their area."

A Grampian Police spokeswoman confirmed to BBC Scotland that a serving officer had admitted a speeding offence while off duty.

The spokeswoman said the force's professional standards department was aware of the circumstances and no further comment was possible.