A DALGETY BAY man crashed his car and then claimed it had been stolen.

Mark Welsh, 44, of Skua Drive, Dalgety Bay, appeared in the dock at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

He admitted that on October 17, at Skua Drive, he failed to co-operate with a breath test when suspected by police of being involved in a road accident.

Then, at Dunfermline police station, he failed to provide breath specimens for analysis.

He also admitted that at Harbour Drive, he called the police and reported his car had been stolen when it had not and attempted to pervert the course of justice.

Depute fiscal Sean Maher said Welsh and his partner had been consuming alcohol at home. There was an argument and he left in his car.

Witnesses saw a white Jaguar being driven towards a roundabout, spinning and striking a road sign.

An employee of the nearby petrol station saw the car stopped on the wrong side of the road.

Both witnesses approached the vehicle. They believed Welsh to be intoxicated because of his slurred speech and demeanour, added the depute.

Welsh claimed he had already phoned the police but then he left on foot.

The petrol station worker then phoned the police. At 12.28am, Welsh phoned the police and claimed his car had been stolen.

Officers had attended Welsh’s house after the report of the crash and viewed doorbell CCTV which showed Welsh driving the car away at 12.09am.

Welsh then returned to the house with the officers still there. “I have no idea as to the name of the driver,” he told them.

Defence solicitor Peter Robertson said: “His position is that he hadn’t been drinking.” Welsh blamed the accident on torrential rain.

However, Sheriff Richard McFarlane told Welsh he believed the reason for the crash was his consumption of alcohol.

He imposed a community payback order with 140 hours of unpaid work and banned him from driving for 14 months.