A FORMER civil servant who suffers from cancer and has debts of £86,000 was spared a jail sentence yesterday despite being caught three-and-a-half-times over the drink-drive limit.

Harrogate magistrates heard that Anthony Moore, who was a Ministry of Defence higher executive officer for 27 years, waved at a police patrol car which tried to stop him in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire.

Caroline Midgley, prosecuting, said that Moore, 52, was seen mounting a kerb in his Peugeot, in Eastfield. He ignored a police car's blue lights and siren and drove into Farndale Road where he lived.

Although he told the police he could not give a roadside breath test because he had cancer, Moore, who had convictions in 1999 for dangerous driving and failing to supply a breath sample, gave a sample at the police station.

When Moore admitted drink-driving, his solicitor, Simon Berger, said he had left his car in a Knaresborough car park the previous day while drinking with friends.

The next day he had another two or three drinks, still intending to leave his car. But as he walked by the car park he took the "stupid decision" to drive home, Mr Berger said.

Court chairman Mary Tennant told Moore the Bench had been close to sending him to prison. But some redeeming features, including his remorse, meant the sentence could be reduced to 220 hours of unpaid community work. He was also banned from driving for five years and ordered to pay £70 costs.