A LOCHGELLY man was caught almost three times over the drink-drive limit as he drove guests home from a wedding.

When police tried to stop the car driven by Jake Richardson he sped off.

Officers later came across the vehicle stopped at the side of a road and Richardson emerged from a wooded area to admit he was the driver.

Richardson, 23, of South Street, appeared at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

He admitted that on June 8, in Lumphinnans Road, Lochgelly, he drove a car having consumed excess alcohol.

His reading was 64 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, the legal limit being 22 microgrammes.

Depute fiscal Azrah Yousaf said that at 3.50am, police officers on patrol activated their blue lights in an attempt to stop Richardson but he drove off.

For a time, Richardson’s car was out of the sight of the police.

However, they later came across the car, which was stopped and still had passengers inside.

Richardson then appeared from a woodland area and told the police he had been the driver.

He failed a roadside breath test, was arrested and taken to the police station.

Defence solicitor Roshni Joshi said: “He’d been collecting people from a wedding party. He had been invited to join them and says he had a small amount of alcohol before driving the people home.

“He accepts this was very foolish. He fully expects he will lose his job as a result of this offence.”

Sheriff Craig McSherry fined Richardson £700 and banned him from driving for 12 months.