A HELENSBURGH motorist who left his passenger injured when his dangerous driving caused his car to overturn near Faslane has been locked up.

Paul Birss was remanded in custody to await sentence after a sheriff said he didn’t believe the 33-year-old’s excuse for missing an appointment to have a background report prepared.

Birss had previously admitted charges of driving dangerously on the A814 near the naval base on July 17, and of failing to provide a specimen of blood, to enable police to find out whether he had been fit to drive, at the Royal Alexandra Hospital early the next day.

Birss had also pleaded guilty to a further charge of drink-driving in the town’s Golfhill Drive on June 20, when he supplied a breath sample with a reading of 27 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath – slightly more than the 22-microgramme limit.

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The dangerous driving charge admitted by Birss stated that on the A814 near Faslane on July 17, Birss “did drive at speeds excessive for the road conditions, drive in an erratic manner, attempt to overtake from the inside lane, fail to maintain control of said motor car, cause said motor car to travel on to the opposing carriageway and on to a pedestrian pathway”.

The charge described how, as a result of Birss’s dangerous driving, the car “did narrowly avoid colliding with another car present on the roadway there, cause said motor car to collide with trees and overturn”, and that Birss “did cause damage to said motor car and injury to Kevin Murray, then a passenger in your said motor car”.

Sentence on Birss had been deferred on August 15 to enable social workers to prepare a background report prior to sentencing.

But at Dumbarton Sheriff Court on Friday, September 13, Birss’s lawyer, Scott Adair, said his client claimed to have missed his appointment with social workers because of childcare responsibilities.

“There was a text confirming an appointment on September 4 at 3pm,” Mr Adair said.

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“He says he phoned the social work department to check he would be finished by 5pm because he had agreed to look after a child,” Mr Adair told the court.

“He says he was told the appointment was at 4.15pm and that he said he would struggle to make that time – however, the social work department has no record of his being in contact.”

Birss twice tried to interject from the dock while his lawyer was speaking, despite being warned not to do so – and his demeanour led to Sheriff William Gallacher instructing that Birss be held in the court’s cells over the lunch break.

Later, Mr Adair, having apologised on Birss's behalf for his client's conduct, said the position was further complicated by Birss no longer living at his previous address in Golf Place, Churchill, but having moved to temporary accommodation in West Clyde Street.

Sheriff Gallacher said: “He was only granted bail by the court on August 15, having previously been on remand.

"One might have thought that if there were issues with his address, he would have been beating a path to his lawyer’s door to say so.

“He didn’t. And his explanation is contradicted by the account from the social work department – and sounds to me to be inherently implausible.”

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Sheriff Gallacher told Birss: “I’m not concerned about how matters progressed earlier today, except that I accept your apology.

"However, you have failed to comply with conditions of bail, and bail is therefore refused. You will be remanded in custody.”