A driver failed to learn his lesson after he was caught drunk behind the wheel twice in 10 days.
On the first occasion in July last year, a concerned witness spotted Joe Bryce hitting curbs and narrowly missing other vehicles as he travelled through Benton in his Ford Fiesta.
A court heard that officers asked the member of public to follow the 29-year-old's vehicle until police arrived on the scene.
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They soon did and Bryce was pulled over on The Fairway, in Gosforth, before he failed a roadside breath test.
Magistrates in Newcastle were told that a mechanical machine to measure the amount of alcohol in Bryce's breath at the police station was not working, so a blood sample was taken and sent off for analysis.
However, while the results were pending and just 10-days-later, Bryce was caught drunk behind the wheel again and subsequently appeared before a court for driving with excess alcohol and convicted.
On Wednesday, having had the blood test results back, Bryce, of of Davenport Drive, in Gosforth, was back in the dock to plead guilty to the first driving with excess alcohol offence.
Lillian Yanes Hellevik, prosecuting at Newcastle Magistrates' Court, said a witness saw Bryce travelling through Benton on July 5 last year and phoned police because of the manner of his driving.
She added: "The witness saw the defendant hitting curbs and narrowly missing other vehicles.
"They followed him to The Fairway but this individual was so concerned about the manner of driving that they contacted the police and remained on the phone to the police until they arrived at the scene."
The court heard that officers deemed that Bryce was "clearly intoxicated" when he got out his vehicle, so breathalysed him.
He later gave a blood sample, which showed he had 199mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood, when the legal limit is 80.
Bryce was then caught drink driving again on July 15.
Ruth Foster, defending, said Bryce, who works as a kitchen designer, was suffering with depression at the time.
She added: "Back at the beginning of 2021, Mr Bryce had split up with his long-term girlfriend of 12 years and they had just had a baby together.
"He took the separation very badly.
"He was a completely different person then to what he is now."
Bryce was fined £520 and banned from driving for three years. He was also ordered to pay £85 costs and a £53 victim surcharge.
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