An alcoholic who was four times over the legal limit when he was stopped by police argued that drink 'doesn't affect him as much as a regular driver'.
Scott Redfern was stopped in Shilo Way, Ilkeston where officers found he had no insurance and no licence.
The court was told that the 37-year-old reeked of alcohol and blew 130 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath in a test when the legal limit is 35, DerbyshireLive reports.
Peter Bettany, prosecuting, said: “On July 12, at 8.25pm, the defendant was driving in Shilo Way when he was stopped by the police and was found to have no insurance or licence.
“He also smelled of drink and his eyes were glazed over.
“He told officers the car belonged to his sister, that he was not insured and had no licence.”
Redfern has previous convictions for driving with excess alcohol, it was said.
He was also disqualified from driving in 2018 for 28 months after being in charge of a vehicle while drunk.
But Rob Wetton, mitigating, said that due to his alcoholism, having such a high alcohol content in his blood does not affect him as much as someone who doesn’t drink.
Mr Wetton said: “This is all about the alcoholism, your worships. He has blown 130 which is four times over the limit.
“But there is no suggestion of any bad driving. He cooperated with the police and even explained that it was not his car.
“Police could not believe that reading that he had given them.
“He was on his own, on the way to the shops or something like that, but he knows that he should not have done it.
“He tells me that he has been co-operating with the current suspended sentence and attended 20 out of 25 meetings.”
Redfern, of Critchley Street, Ilkeston, pleaded guilty to driving while uninsured, disqualified and under the influence of alcohol.
He was then jailed having also been in breach of a suspended sentence that was handed to him in April this year.
Magistrates sentenced him to 32 weeks in total, saying: “Your actions have been a blatant disregard for court orders.”
They also ordered him to pay a victim surcharge of £122 and disqualified him from driving for six years.
His family members in court waved him goodbye as he was taken away to prison.
