A BANNED motorist collided with a bicycle while two-and-a-half times over the drink-drive limit, a court heard.

The teenage rider and a four-year-old ‘passenger’ were both thrown from the BMX cycle on impact with the Rover 25, driven by Brett Scott Hodgson.

Durham Crown Court heard the accident, in Hollyhill Gardens East, in, Stanley, County Durham, took place at 10.30am on Saturday February 28.

Chris Baker, prosecuting, said that as the bike brakes did not work, the 19-year-old cyclist tried dragging his feet along the ground to try and slow down, but could not avoid a collision.

He was thrown onto the windscreen and bonnet, before landing on the road, while the boy, who was returning with him from a nearby sweet shop, was thrown onto the pavement, screaming in pain.

Mr Baker said the child suffered grazing to his head, shoulder, right hip and left knee, while the cyclist suffered a cut to the back of the head.

The boy’s mother and a neighbour told Hodgson to stay where he was and one of them leaned into the Rover to remove the car keys.

When police arrived Hodgson appeared heavily inebriated and gave a subsequent blood sample containing 207mg of alcohol, compared to the legal limit of 80mg. He was interviewed and made full admissions.

The court heard he had drunk 12 cans of lager into the early hours that morning and had only had two-and-a-half hours sleep before taking a relative’s car to Pelton, near Chester-le-Street, and back to Stanley.

Mr Baker said a police accident investigator estimated the Rover was travelling at 31 mph on the 30 limit road when he applied his brakes and slowed to about 21 mph by the point of impact.

Reading from a statement of the four-year-old boy’s mother, Mr Baker said she initially feared her son was far more seriously injured.

The 21-year-old defendant, of Pea Road, Stanley, admitted aggravated vehicle taking, driving with excess alcohol, while disqualified and without insurance.

Joe Hedworth, mitigating, said the defendant considered it to have been, “the biggest mistake of his life” and apologised to the youngsters and their families.

But he added that Hodgson was not considered responsible for the collision, even though he should not have been driving.

Jailing him for 14 months, Judge Christopher Prince told Hodgson he has a bad record for driving while over the limit and when banned.

He imposed a further disqualification from driving of two years and seven months.