A MAN was banned from driving for one and a half years after he drove his mother’s boyfriend’s car after drinking four cans of lager and smoking cannabis.

Christopher Airey, 28, of Darlington, pleaded guilty to drink driving after he gave a breath reading of 62mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The limit is 35mg.

He also pleaded guilty to no insurance and taking a vehicle without consent.

Police were called by Darlington Memorial Hospital staff as they were concerned by Airey’s driving at 12.10am on October 22.

He was then spotted driving a Seat Leon on Northgate, in Darlington, and stopped by police.

Airey, of Lewes Road, told officers that the car was his mother’s boyfriends.

Prosecutor Stephen Davies, told Newton Aycliffe Magistrates Court, that Airey seemed to have been drinking and he was arrested on suspicion of drink driving.

He said Airey told the police that his mother had been taken to hospital and that he had taken the keys without permission to go and see how she was.

He admitted drinking four cans of lager and to smoking cannabis that night.

Callum Terry, mitigating, said Airey had been out for the night and had returned home to find his mother unconscious and bleeding from a head wound.

He called an ambulance which took her to hospital - he panicked and took the car to follow her.

Airey was sentenced to a 16-month driving ban and fined £200 for the drink driving offence. He was also fined £100 for the no insurance and £100 for the taking without consent charges.

He will pay £85 prosecution costs and a £20 victim surcharge.