Drink driver who claimed friend 'forced him to drink alcohol' loses Glasgow private hire bid

A would-be private hire driver claimed his friend “forced” him to drink alcohol on the day he was found to be more than four times over the limit.

Muhammad Hayat was hit with a two-year driving ban in 2021 after he swerved across a Glasgow road and hit a kerb at “excessive” speed.

He asked Glasgow City Council for permission to become a private hire driver, but the city’s licensing committee rejected the application after an objection from Police Scotland.

The driver, who said he could speak “not so much” English, told councillors his friend had “forced” him to drink.

Cllr Alex Wilson, SNP, who chairs the committee, said: “Did he hold you down and pour alcohol down your throat?

“You do realise you were four and a half times over the limit? You could have killed someone.”

Cllr Sean Ferguson, SNP, added: “Did your friend also force your car keys into your hand and force you to get behind the wheel, even though you were intoxicated?

“Please don’t insult the committee’s intelligence like that.”

Mr Hayat said he no longer drinks alcohol and admitted he had made a “mistake”.

Police Scotland told the committee the applicant had also been fined over £650 in total following the incident.

An officer said Mr Hayat drove “at an excessive speed for the prevailing conditions and failed to observe lane markings”.

“He then swerved across the roadway striking the kerb, which caused a pedestrian to take evasive action to avoid a collision,” she added.

Councillors heard how the driver failed a roadside breath test and a later test showed he had 92mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath, exceeding the limit of 22mcg.