A driver refused a breath test after ploughing into a skip then necking booze in a pub.
Keith Blair, who has a previous conviction for being in charge of vehicle while over the alcohol limit, had been travelling along a road in Kenton, Newcastle, when he was distracted by his mobile phone.
A court heard that the 60-year-old crashed into a skip but, rather than ring the police and wait for them to arrive, he decided to walk to a local pub.
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Blair claimed to have then drank booze before officers turned up a short while later and requested a breath test, magistrates were told.
However, he refused to take the test and was arrested.
And the foolish move has now hit Blair in the pocket and landed him with a four-year driving ban after he pleaded guilty to failing to provide a specimen.
Newcastle Magistrates' Court was told that the accident happened on Rokeby Drive, in Kenton, on the evening on January 15 this year.
Amy Lamb, defending, said: "He has been driving and briefly looked down at his mobile then looked up and crashed into dolomite in front of a skip, which is how his car ended up in the skip.
"He's then gone to a pub and was drinking alcohol when police arrived and he refused a breath test.
"He's the sole carer of his elderly mother. He's genuinely sorry for this offence."
The court heard that Blair's previous alcohol-related driving conviction was from April last year.
Blair was given a 12-month community order, was fined £120 and must pay £85 costs and a £95 victim surcharge.
