A driver who drove a van the wrong way on a dual carriageway while drunk before terrorising another motorist – who he wrongly believed was his wife – has been jailed for more than two years.
Slawomir Stiller, 49, was found to be more than six times over the legal driving limit after he was arrested for his “reckless” behaviour on the A9 near Inverness in May this year.
Sentencing Stiller, Sheriff Sara Matheson told him: “You appear before me for sentence in respect of one of the worst courses of driving coupled with abusive conduct that I can recall dealing with.”
The A9 – which stretches across Scotland from Falkirk to Thurso – is one of the most dangerous roads in the country.
Sheriff Matheson said the road is “well known as the scene of many fatalities”.
Several witnesses provided police with dashcam footage which showed Stiller travelling south on the northbound lane of the carriageway, at one point reaching 60mph.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said a court heard how Stiller entered the wrong lane after driving around Tore roundabout with his main beam lights on.
One driver was forced to swap lanes to avoid Stiller’s oncoming van as it mounted verges and drove directly towards them.
He then tried to block a female motorist into a lay-by as she dialled 999.
The woman drove off at speed towards Kessock Bridge, but Stiller overtook her before reversing his van into her Renault car.
He then attempted to open her doors and punched her vehicle, which Sheriff Matheson said caused her “extreme distress”.
Sheriff Matheson said: “You carried out extremely dangerous manoeuvres at several points, including mounting the grass verge, mounting the central reservation, blocking the road with your van and tailgating the vehicle in front
“The level of risk at which you placed numerous members of the public is hard to overstate; the fact that you did not kill or seriously injure multiple others was a matter of pure luck.”
Police Scotland received 12 emergency calls from concerned road users, with officers able to apprehend the accused after setting up a rolling roadblock.
COPFS said Stiller was found to be unsteady on his feet and was shouting in an “incoherent manner at the woman who he believed was his wife”.
Officers recovered a bottle of whisky and medication from inside Stiller’s van.
When arrested, a roadside breath test revealed his breath alcohol level to be 136 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath, which is more than six times the legal limit of 22 microgrammes.
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Stiller last month pleaded guilty to four separate charges at Inverness Sheriff Court.
He admitted dangerous driving, driving a motor vehicle with an alcohol concentration above the prescribed limit, assault, and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.
Stiller returned for sentencing on Tuesday and was jailed for 28 months. He was also banned from driving for nine years and two months.
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Alison McKenzie, procurator fiscal for Grampian, Highlands and the Islands, said: “Slawomir Stiller showed a reckless disregard for the safety of other motorists.
“It is entirely possible that his conduct could have resulted in a fatal incident.
“He will now spend a period in prison as a consequence of his actions.”
