A drunk driver found with a bottle of whisky and medication in his van after driving on the wrong side of a dual carriageway has been jailed. Slawomir Stiller, 49, was sentenced this week for the incident on the A9 near Inverness in May this year.

Police received 12 emergency calls reporting Stiller’s dangerous driving, during which he reversed his van into a woman’s car and attempted to open her doors. Dashcam footage provided by several witnesses captured Stiller’s reckless behaviour as he sped south on the northbound lane of the carriageway, reaching speeds of up to 60 miles per hour.

Stiller was sentenced at Inverness Sheriff Court after pleading guilty to charges including drink driving, dangerous driving, assault, and threatening behaviour. In addition to his jail sentence, he was disqualified from driving for nine years and two months. On sentencing, Sheriff Matheson said: “Slawomir Stiller you appear before me for sentence in respect of one of the worst courses of driving coupled with abusive conduct that I can recall dealing with.”

The court heard how Stiller drove clockwise around the Tore roundabout with his high beams on before entering the northbound carriageway of the A9 while driving south. One driver had to change lanes to avoid a collision with Stiller’s van as it veered onto verges and drove directly towards oncoming traffic.

A female driver, who made a 999 call, was targeted by Stiller, who attempted to trap her in a lay-by. She sped towards Kessock Bridge, but Stiller overtook her, then reversed into her car before trying to open her doors and punching her vehicle. When apprehended, Stiller was unsteady on his feet and incoherently shouted at the woman, whom he mistakenly believed to be his wife.

He was eventually arrested, and a roadside breath test revealed a breath alcohol level of 136 microgrammes per 100 millilitres, more than six times the legal limit of 22 microgrammes.