Thief took stolen car on 110mph chase past Loch Lomond

Bruce McCusker repeatedly drove a stolen car into oncoming traffic as he raced past Loch Lomond.

He overtook a lorry on a blind bend on the crest of a hill before losing control and driving the vehicle on to a pavement.

A sheriff said it was a "miracle" nobody was hurt in the early morning incident.

But despite describing his driving as "atrocious", the judge opted to spare McCusker a jail sentence.

Dumbarton Sheriff Court heard that the lengthy crime spree started at 6.30am on December 1, 2023, when McCusker entered a property in Oxhill Road, Dumbarton and took a set of car keys

The homeowner was asleep until he heard a noise from downstairs and a dog barking.

When he went down to investigate, he didn't see anybody, but then heard tyres screeching away from the scene.

On realising what had happened, the homeowner immediately dialled 999.

McCusker, meanwhile, sped off towards Dumbarton; around half an hour later police, who had been told to be on the lookout for the stolen vehicle, spotted it at the Arden roundabout near Loch Lomond.

The court was told the officers signalled for the driver to stop, which he did a short distance along the A82.

McCusker was observed in the driver's seat - but then he sped off heading north.

With the pursuit now on, several road police units became involved, with the chase taking them to speeds of more than 110 miles per hour in a 60mph zone.

The court was told that McCusker made half a dozen dangerous overtaking manoeuvres during the course of the journey towards Tarbet, with head-on collisions only narrowly avoided.

McCusker was still driving at more than 80 miles per hour in the 30mph zone in Tarbet.

The procurator fiscal depute described one "potentially life-threatening" manoeuvre in which McCusker overtook a heavy goods vehicle.

He was fully in the other lane of the carriageway while going over a blind summit on a hillcrest.

The chase continued onto the A83 until McCusker reached the Rest and Be Thankful, nearly 22 miles from where the chase had begun at Arden.

But he did not stop there, and instead turned and headed south back towards Arrochar.

He picked up speed again, and was clocked travelling at more than 100mph in the 60mph zone.

The court heard that McCusker eventually lost control of the vehicle on the main street in Arrochar, ending up on a pavement - though it was early enough in the day that there were no pedestrians nearby.

But still he wouldn't stop, with the chase only ending when McCusker lost control of the vehicle and collided with an embankment on the A814 outside the Caledonian Claymore Hotel.

Even then, McCusker tried to evade police by getting out of the vehicle and attempting to run off, but officers caught him a short time later.

He was taken into custody and later pleaded guilty to stealing a motor vehicle and driving without insurance.

McCusker, of Ashton View, Dumbarton, further admitted driving dangerously, at excessive speed, repeatedly overtaking when it was not safe to do so, driving in an erratic manner, driving at speeds of 80mph in Tarbet, overtaking an HGV while unable to take proper observation of the road ahead, and repeatedly losing control of the vehicle and causing the car to leave the roadway on the A82, A83, B828 and A814.

His defence solicitor said it was a "particularly distressing and serious matter".

She told Sheriff Lorna Anderson: "He is under no illusion of the views of the court and the options, or perhaps lack of options you may have."

The lawyer said there was a "glimmer of hope" for her client after a "lifetime of illicit substances".

Sheriff Anderson said there had been "good engagement" by McCusker with the supervision element imposed on another court order last year.

She told him: "You are 44 years old; you have been here many times before."

The sheriff described McCusker's driving as "atrocious" and told him it was a "miracle" nobody was hurt.

She banned him from driving for two years and ordered him to sit, and pass, an extended driving test before being allowed to get back behind the wheel.

McCusker was also ordered to do 120 hours of unpaid work in the community by May 2025, and was placed under an 8pm to 7am curfew each night for three months.

Sheriff Anderson said the sentence was a direct alternative to custody.