Referee fears rides with SPL fans

Terry Brunton was banned under totting-up rules

A speeding referee claimed he should be allowed to keep his licence because it was too dangerous for him to travel on public transport with football fans.

However, a sheriff rejected SFA grade one official Terry Brunton's plea and ruled he should be disqualified.

At Perth Sheriff Court, Brunton was fined £300 and had six points added to his licence, which meant he was banned from driving under totting-up rules.

Brunton admitted speeding on the M90, near Kinross, on 7 August last year.

The referee, from Inchture, Perthshire, drove at 85mph when the speed had been reduced to 50mph ahead of roadworks.

500 miles

He already had six points on his licence for two mobile phone offences.

Brunton told the court: "I have got my football refereeing. I have got to get myself to grounds, which could be anywhere from Inverness to Kilmarnock, and it is not always easy with all of my kit.

"I wouldn't want to get the bus to any SPL match and get recognised by supporters on the bus."

However, Sheriff Michael Fletcher said it was not an exceptional hardship which would have enabled him to avoid a ban.

Fiscal depute Stuart Richardson had suggested that, in reality, if Brunton was officiating far from home he might have to leave the night before - thereby avoiding fans altogether.

Divorced father-of-two Brunton also claimed his family and work circumstances meant a driving ban would cause him hardship, but those claims were also rejected.

The court heard he drove up to 500 miles a week in his football job and a similar distance as a service engineer before being made redundant recently.