DUI chose wrong door

Scotland - A drunk man who drove his van off a Highland road picked the wrong door to knock on for a lift into the nearest village - he chose the local policeman's house.

Darren Sutherland, 27, from Dingwall, banged on the door of the Craiglea bed-and-breakfast near Mallaig, waking the couple who lived there.

He told John Bryden, 40, who answered the door, that he was "a bit drunk and had smashed his van", adding: "Don't tell the bobbies." He then asked for a lift.

PC Bryden told Sutherland to wait a couple of minutes while he went upstairs to get dressed. Then he came back down - in his full police uniform.

The policeman handcuffed Sutherland before putting him into his police car, hidden from view at the side of the house.

Yesterday, PC Bryden said: "Mr Sutherland was very insistent when he came to my door after midnight and obviously just wanted to get away from the scene as quickly as possible. I told him I couldn't put him in my car until I got dressed.

"I went upstairs to get dressed and came back down in my full police uniform, including my hat. The guy got the fright of his life. I charged him there and then under Section 4 of the Road Traffic Act, and, to be fair to him, he let me put the cuffs on and came without a struggle. He was very subdued.

"I held on to Mr Sutherland until two of my colleagues came from Fort William to officially arrest him. He spent the night in the cells to help him sober up."

PC Bryden added: "It's really remote up here, the middle of nowhere. I've been the local policeman for 16 years as well as the wildlife protection officer. I also help with mountain rescue. My wife is the postmistress and we also run a bed-and-breakfast."