A MAN who a few months ago was living rough and who is now being helped to set up his own business by the Prince's Trust, avoided jail yesterday after admitting a third drink-drive offence in seven years.

Mark Allan was told by magistrates nobody would have batted an eyelid had he gone to jail. "You have an appalling record, one you should be thoroughly ashamed of," said court chairman Brian Pattyson.

Michael Hammond, prosecuting, said four days before Christmas, Allan, 26, of D'Arcy Court, Catterick Garrison, was stopped by police after they had followed him at high speed along Otley Road, Harrogate. A blood test showed he was more than two and a half times the drink drive limit and inquiries revealed he had convictions for similar offences in 1996 and 1999.

In mitigation, Geoffrey Rogers told Harrogate magistrates that Allan had gone out with friends shortly after finding somewhere to live following a period of homelessness.

He had left his car at one friend's home near Leyburn while they visited a nearby pub and had not been behind the wheel when the group decided to go on to a Harrogate nightclub. But, he said, there was a row and he was persuaded to drive.

His second conviction had come after police saw his car parked outside a parking bay. They asked him to move it a few yards and then arrested him.

Now, said Mr Rogers, Allan wanted to start a business designing and selling T-shirts and was getting help with his enterprise from The Prince's Trust.

Allan was banned from driving for four years, put on probation for a year, told to do 100 hours of unpaid community work and pay £55 costs. He was fined £300 for not being insured.