A FATHER has been given a 12-month conditional discharge after admitting drink-driving days before his baby son was killed in a horrific car accident.

Brian Taylor was twice the legal alcohol limit when he was pursued by police at high speed through Darlington, the town's magistrates court heard yesterday.

As Taylor sped south along North Road, he lost control of his Honda Accord, crashed into a garden wall of a house and then left the scene.

The court heard that officers caught up with the 29-year-old, from Killin Road, Darlington, shortly before 3am on December 21 and were forced into using CS spray to arrest him.

Magistrates told Taylor that the charges of drink-driving, dangerous driving and resisting arrest, which he pleaded guilty to, would have landed him in jail had it not been for the death of his son, Callum.

Callum was killed when his pushchair was hit by driver Paul Lee, 25, of Gateshead, in December last year.

Twelve days ago, Taylor sat in the public gallery at Teesside Crown Court to see Lee jailed for eight years for causing Callum's death by dangerous driving.

The court had previously heard that, following Taylor's accident, his car had been wrecked, which had led to the family walking from their former home in West Cornforth, County Durham, to Spennymoor, when Lee's car hit Callum.

Yesterday, David Maddison, prosecuting, said Taylor had been driving on the night of his crash following an argument with his wife.

After almost knocking officers down in the road at the scene of another accident, he tore off along the A167 before crashing and fleeing the scene.

When PC Michael Nesbitt caught up with Taylor he faced a struggle and suffered minor injuries to his hand, knee and face.

Sentencing, chairman of the magistrates' bench Hilda Wappet said: "We have looked at your personal circumstances and we have been influenced by them.

"You feel that had you not crashed your car a week previously, forcing you to walk, your son would still be alive today.

"We couldn't think of a worse situation than losing your own child and this is reflected in our sentencing."

Taylor was disqualified from driving for 16 months for drink-driving, disqualified for 12 months and fined £150 for dangerous driving and ordered to pay £25 compensation to PC Nesbitt, plus £51 costs.