Nicola Gillespie (30), whose address was given as Flat 6/1, 173 Finnieston Street, Glasgow, was also fined £750 after pleading guilty to failing to provide a sample of breath after the accident, which followed what her lawyer called "a lovers' tiff" in the early hours of October 3 last year.

Fiscal depute Kevin Docherty told the court police had seen Gillespie's accident-damaged vehicle in East Princes Street and had approached her to see if she was all right.

The officers saw Gillespie was slurring her words and appeared to be unsteady on her feet; she supplied a breath sample at the scene, which failed, and was arrested and taken to the town's police station.

There she provided a second breath sample with a reading twice the legal limit, but on being required to provide another sample at the station, this time failed to do so, and could not provide a reason why.

Robert Fairbairn, defending, said the loss of Gillespie's licence would have a severe impact on her work as sole director of Gillespie Equestrian in Airdrie, a business which, he said, involved the breeding of racing, showjumping and dressage horses and training them "to Olympic standards", and required her to travel throughout the UK and abroad as the holder of a class 2 HGV licence.

The offence, he continued, was committed while Gillespie and her fiance were on Bute for a wedding and followed an incident at a dinner party in a local hotel in which a guest behaved disrespectfully towards her.
Gillespie, Mr Fairbairn said, believed her fiance should have done more to protect her.

The couple argued when they returned to their hotel and Gillespie foolishly decided to go for a short drive to make her fiance think she was leaving.

Sheriff Rajni Swanney agreed with Mr Fairbairn's suggestion that Gillespie, who already had points on her licence for speeding, could be considered for a rehabilitation and training programme which, if completed successfully, would reduce the mandatory year-long ban to one of nine months. The sheriff also imposed a fine of £750.

Man's drunken assault on girl, 12

A ROTHESAY man assaulted a 12-year-old girl by grabbing hold of her in a drunken haze and pushing her against a wall, the town's sheriff court heard this week.

Cornelius Glancy (52), address given as 9 A'Chrannag, had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to assaulting the girl in the town's High Street on January 15 last year.

Fiscal depute Kevin Docherty said the girl had been walking along the street with friends at approximately 4.50pm, and that Glancy, who appeared "well under the influence of drink", had grabbed her as they drew level with him before trying to push her against a nearby wall, alarming the girl and causing her to go straight to the police after Glancy stumbled off.

Officers traced Glancy a short time after the incident was reported, Mr Docherty continued, but indicated that he couldn't remember anything of the incident.

Jim Hannay, defending, confirmed that Glancy had little recollection of the incident, and that he could only suggest he had fallen towards the girl through drink or that she had been cheeky towards him in some way.

Mr Hannay also said Glancy appeared to have begun to address his drinking since the incident occurred.

"You may think you have controlled your drinking problem," Sheriff Rajni Swanney told Glancy, "but I have to say I have my doubts about that."

Sentence was deferred until May for Glancy to be of good behaviour; supplementary background reports were also ordered.

Teen assaulted in row over air-con unit

A PORT Bannatyne teenager was told to avoid any trouble for the next year after pleading guilty at Rothesay Sheriff Court to a charge of assault.

Robert Jardine (17), address given as 1 Kames Terrace, admitted assaulting another teenager at the putting greens in Rothesay on the evening of November 2 by punching him on the head.

Fiscal depute Kevin Docherty said Jardine had arranged to pick up an air conditioning unit which the other boy had borrowed and which he left outside his house in Rothesay; a short time later, the complainer was approached by Jardine, after he got out of his mother's car, and was punched to the head.

Robert Dundas, defending, said the unit had belonged to Jardine's mother, and that she and her son had travelled through to Rothesay from Port Bannatyne and found the unit lying in the street, having sustained some damage.

They put the item in the car, Mr Dundas said, but a short time later they saw the other boy while driving past the putting greens; Jardine's mother stopped the car, intending to speak to the boy about his attitude to her property, but she was the subject of some derision from the complainer and his friends, and Jardine "took matters into his own hands".

"It's a matter of some regret on the part of his mum that she stopped," Mr Dundas said, "but she felt she wanted to say something to the other young person about his attitude to other people's property."

Sheriff Rajni Swanney told Jardine he would be admonished if he could stay out of trouble for the next 12 months.

Greenock man is fined for drug possession

A GREENOCK man found in possession of some 150 diazepam tablets in a Rothesay street was told to stay out of trouble for the next three months when he appeared for sentencing at Rothesay Sheriff Court on Monday.

Barry Morrison (28), address given as 38 Canmore Crescent, had pleaded guilty to possession of a Class C controlled substance with the intent to supply after being stopped in the High Street on April 25.

Fiscal depute Kevin Docherty told the court the tablets recovered had a value of £75-150.

Edward Sweeney, defending, said Morrison accepted that the charge was a serious one, but he pointed out that background reports into his client's circumstances were "fairly positive" and that he was making relatively good progress with a drug treatment and testing order (DTTO) imposed after a previous conviction.

Sheriff Rajni Swanney ordered further reports and deferred sentence until April.

* Allan Cockburn (55), address given as Flat 1/2, 20 West Princes Street, pleaded guilty on Monday to breaching a condition of bail by being found outwith his home address during the hours of a curfew.

Cockburn, who is the subject of a curfew to keep him at home between 7pm and 7am each day, had been seen by uniformed officers visiting the Chinese restaurant and Co-op supermarket near his home after 7pm on Friday evening.

Robert Dundas, defending, said Cockburn had simply been unaware of the time, and had been complying with his curfew order until the date of the offence.

Sentence was deferred for seven days for the offence to be dealt with alongside other matters.