Sentencing deferred on canal-stunt motorist

A DRIVER who crashed his car through ice as he tried to drive along a frozen canal in a crazy stunt had sentence deferred for reports for a second time yesterday.

Andrew Nisbet was not able to keep his first appointment with social workers because he had been arrested and recalled to prison for another offence.

Raymond McMenamin, defending, gave the unusual excuse when Nisbet appeared from custody at Livingston Sheriff Court.

He said: "He did receive a letter, but the problem was that he was arrested rather unexpectedly very early on the morning of 8 October."

Mr McMenamin said his client would be released from Saughton Prison today and would co-operate in the preparation of background reports and assessments of his suitability for community service and electronic tagging.

An earlier hearing heard how Nisbet almost killed himself when he tried to drive ten miles from Bridgend to Edinburgh along the Union Canal last winter.

His passenger and his West Highland terrier had to scramble for their lives when his Peugeot 406 plunged into the icy water after just a mile.

Nisbet, 25, of South Queensferry, pleaded guilty to culpable and reckless behaviour on 11 January.

He is due to appear again for sentence on 18 November.