Fine and ban for Iraq driver caught drunk

A SOLDIER who was being trained as a specialist driver in Iraq has been disqualified after being caught more than three times over the legal alcohol limit in Edinburgh.

Simon McCallum, 19, was home on leave when he went drinking with friends. He took his car out driving in the Capital last month and, after several calls about his driving, police found his car.

They found him nearby and, after initially denying being the driver, he admitted he had got behind the wheel drunk.

Yesterday, at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, McCallum, of Redford Gardens, Edinburgh, was fined £400 and disqualified from driving for 18 months.

The court heard how a "substantial amount" of money had been invested in driver training for the young soldier in Iraq.

But Sheriff Elizabeth Jarvie said: "He won't be driving here for a while."