Neville Booy, 31, of Purley Avenue, Park South, pleaded guilty at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on February 12.
Mr Ballinger explained that it was nearly 4am when Booy was spotted dangerously driving around Marlborough Road and as officers approached the rear of his Mercedes A160, he made off.
The officers did not follow the 31-year-old as they were not pursuit trained, however around 10 minutes later they spotted Booy parked in the Shell garage.
Booy, who has no previous convictions, was found to have 68 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath back at custody, nearly double the legal limit of 35.
In mitigation, Mr Morgan, defending, told the court that Booy had moved from South Africa as a skilled worker in the care sector.
As his job is dependant on him driving to patients’ homes, he has lost this job as a result and will only be able to renew his Visa if he finds another job by August.
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Mr Morgan added that Booy had been out celebrating the new year and he is usually the designated driver and is not a regular drinker.
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That evening he had been at a friend’s house and planned to have a few drinks, with his final drink being around midnight to 1am, and thought that if he waited a few hours, he would no longer be over the limit.
But Booy “didn’t wait long enough and got the maths wrong” and when he was pulled over by officers he “panicked” and drove up the road to the garage in a “fairly half-hearted attempt” to evade police.
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District Judge Dickens acknowledged Booy’s previous good character and work as a carer but warned him that drink driving is very serious and can cause fatalities or life-changing injuries.
Additionally, she said she had taken into account the “huge implications” a driving ban would have on his life and career, adding “others will be disadvantaged because we need all the carers we can get.”
Nevertheless, the magistrate imposed a 12-month disqualification and warned any further convictions would be the end of his career altogether as well as the end of his stay in the UK.
Booy was also fined £250, with a surcharge of £100 and £85 prosecution costs.
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