A police officer put on her car's blue lights while giving a colleague a lift then ran a red light and smashed into another vehicle.

Constable Jennifer Jones, 28, admitted a charge of dangerous driving in Arbroath town centre on November 24, 2014.

The offence normally carries an automatic road ban but Jones was given a fine and penalty points.

Her lawyers argued at Forfar Sheriff Court that she would suffer exceptional hardship if she was disqualified from driving because she would no longer be able to work as a police response driver.

The court heard how Jones' colleague, constable Charles Demore, had been called by his wife because their six-week-old baby had fallen ill at their home in Dundee.

Jones drove Mr Demore back to their station in Arbroath to drop off his kit and speak to his sergeant before going off-duty to attend to the family emergency.

He then got back in the marked car and they left the station to head to Monifieth, where Mr Demore had parked his own car.

Jones switched on the car's blue lights and ran a red light just 500 yards from the station.

At the time Susan Clark, 45, was turning out of the Brothock Bridge junction and went straight in to Jones' path.

The collision left Ms Clark's Kia C'eed written off and the police Ford Focus suffered £8500 of damage.

In court, Jones claimed she had been "doing the right thing" but said she should have been "more cautious."

She said: "I thought I was getting my colleague to his unwell baby - I thought I was doing the right thing."

Fiscal depute Robbie Brown told the court: "Ms Clark had her 15-year-old daughter in the car with her."

"The police vehicle was shunted into the central reservation and collided with a bollard.

"The accused sustained an injury and was taken to Ninewells but discharged without treatment."

Mr Demore earlier gave evidence to the hearing and said: "I was concerned when we approached the light but assumed PC Jones was aware of the situation.

"I had been called by my wife and was aware she had been on the phone to NHS 24 about our child, who was screaming in the background and had been for some time.

"I was going to assist when the crash occurred. After the collision I was taken by a colleague in another car back to my car, and they also had the blue lights on.

"I asked them to put them off as I'd already been in one incident that day and didn't want another."

Sheriff Gregor Murray fined Jones £750 and imposed eight penalty points on her licence.