Dingwall offender found hiding under bed in mother’s house

A disqualified motorist from Ross-shire was spotted by police in the driver's seat of his car and officers decided to check on him.

But Inverness Sheriff Court heard that 34-year-old Adrian Ratajewski, of Achany Court, Dingwall was trying to sell his car and it was the prospective purchaser who drove the vehicle on a test drive.

Fiscal depute Sharon Ralph said he was traced to his mother's house and found hiding under a bed with two mattresses on top of him.

Ratajewski, who was banned from driving three times in 2022 for having drugs in his system, was required to give breath and saliva tests which proved negative.

But when he was required to give a blood sample, Ratajewski refused, telling police: "I get sore hands when you take blood."

Ratajewski pleaded guilty to having no insurance for the vehicle and failing to provide a blood sample.

Defence solicitor Marc Dickson told the court: "It didn't make sense for him not to provide a sample when the initial one was negative."

Sheriff Nigel Cooke ordered Ratajewski to carry out 225 hours of unpaid community work as an alternative to custody and banned him from driving for three years.

He said: "With your record, you should know you should cooperate with the police."

ends

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.