A DRUNKEN soldier drove on a Huddersfield motorway as his Army career lay in tatters, a court heard.

Ryan Malcolm, 23, appeared before the town’s magistrates yesterday for the incident on February 14.

He admitted driving above the alcohol limit, using a car without insurance and driving whilst disqualified.

Huddersfield magistrates heard that Malcolm was stopped by police at junction 23 at Outlane on the westbound carriageway of the M62.

A roadside breath test revealed 49 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath – the legal limit is 35mg.

He was also flouting a previous driving ban and had no insurance for his Audi A3.

The court heard that Malcolm is currently in an Army prison after going AWOL.

He had been a soldier for seven years, risking his life on the front line.

But he had got into difficulties as he struggled with life back home.

His solicitor Neil Murphy said: “A few years ago soldiers would not see active service.

“It’s a fundamentally different regime that they find themselves in today, when they know that they are putting their life on the line for the country.