A suspected drink driver failed to show for court because he was serving a jail sentence in Dubai for being drunk and disorderly.
Benjamin Coward was due to appear before magistrates in North Tyneside in September but didn't attend the hearing.
As a result, a warrant was issued for the 47-year-old's arrest.
But Coward's solicitor returned to court on Tuesday, where she gave an explanation for his previous absence and to ask that the warrant be withdrawn.
Ruth Foster, defending, told magistrates that Coward had flown to Dubai for a break at the end of the summer but had been arrested because of his drunken behaviour.
"He's got drunk and had an altercation in a hotel and got arrested for being drunk and disorderly," Ms Foster said. "The penalty in Dubai for that offence is custody.
"He did think he was only going to be locked-up for a week but he was detained beyond that.
"He ended up serving three weeks."
Ms Foster added: "He's served three weeks in custody for being drunk and disorderly, you have to have some sympathy for him for that."
The court was heard that, following his release from jail in Dubai, Coward, of The Meadows, Coulby, Teesside, was sent immediately by his employers to work on a contract in Iran.
He is due back in the UK at the end of the month.
Magistrates agreed to withdraw the arrest warrant and adjourned Coward's case until December 3 at North Tyneside Magistrates' Court.
It's alleged that Coward was caught driving with excess alcohol on Bentinck Road, in Elswick, Newcastle, on June 27.
He was given unconditional bail until that time.
The laws for drinking alcohol are different in Dubai compared to the UK.
Essentially, you can drink in the city if you're a tourist; but you have to stick to the designated areas, and you can't be drinking, or intoxicated, in public.
