A DRUNKEN sailor was let off with a #200 fine yesterday after a
sheriff heard him promise to pay #1000 towards the cost of his rescue.
In an unprecedented move, Sheriff William Fulton had deferred sentence
for a year until yesterday to allow 65-year-old Fred King to pay part of
the #4300 cost the RNLI and the coastguards who rescued him near Skye.
A condition of the deferred sentence was that King, who runs the
Badachro Inn near Gairloch, Wester Ross, with wife Sheila, 64, be of
good behaviour until yesterday's appearance.
But fiscal Colin McClory told Portree Sheriff Court that at New Year
the former Edinburgh senior civil servant was fined #1000 at Dingwall
Sheriff Court and banned for three years for a drink-driving offence. He
was almost three times over the limit.
As he left court yesterday, King said: ''I'm just glad it's all
over.''
At the original court appearance, Mr McClory told how ex-teacher Mrs
King persuaded her husband to take her friend, former No. 10 Downing
Street secretary Antoinette Passmore 47, on a 100-mile cruise to St
Kilda in his 30ft yacht.
The pair set out, but turned back after two days because of impending
bad weather. Miss Passmore of Tollie Farm, Poolewe, then radioed the
coastguards while King was asleep and said that she wanted rescued from
the yacht Traigh Mhor as King could not handle it.
Miss Passmore was winched on to the Stornoway rescue helicopter, but
coastguards became worried because King's speech on the radio was
slurred.
He said he was unsure of his position in the Minch between Skye and
the Outer Hebrides.
Portree lifeboat was launched and the crew found the yacht, boarded it
and helped sail it into the safety of Uig on Skye where the police were
waiting.
Mr McClory said: ''They found him under the influence of drink. He
could not walk without the help of police, and did not seem to
understand what was being said.''
The father of two grown-up sons -- one a lawyer, the other an
accountant -- was then put in jail for the night. He later admitted
sailing ''culpably and recklessly'' while under the influence of
alcohol.
Defence lawyer Donald Ferguson claimed that King had been ''feeling
unwell'' and had taken ''a few hot toddies''.
There had been a personality clash and Miss Passmore had over-reacted.
King was a yachtsman of more than 30 years' experience.
Mr Ferguson said Miss Passmore was more suited to luxury liners than a
small yacht.
Afterwards King said: ''This is all very embarrassing. I'm actually a
member of the RNLI.''
Asked yesterday if the couple had patched up their friendship with the
former Wilson Government secretary, Mrs King said: ''You must be
joking.''
Miss Passmore said at her home: ''I've nothing to say.''
King was given two weeks to pay #770 to the coastguards and #230 to
the RNLI.
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