A drink driver avoided jail for ignoring his ban – despite his appalling criminal record.

Trevor Slater already had an astonishing 38 convictions for driving whilst disqualified and 12 for drink-driving.

He was caught behind the wheel again in the early hours of August 4, weaving across the road in his drunken state.

Kirklees magistrates heard that at 4am police noticed his Citroen Berlingo travelling along Wakefield Road in Scissett.

The officers stopped the van after it weaved towards the centre line and Slater told them: “I’m disqualified.” They could smell alcohol on the 57-year-old’s breath and he was arrested after failing a roadside breath test.

Further police station tests showed that he had 42 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

Slater pleaded guilty to drink-driving, driving whilst disqualified and using a vehicle without insurance. He was banned from the road following a conviction for dangerous driving in 2006. Then he was told to take an extended retest before he could drive again but he has failed to do so.

Kirklees Magistrates Court, Huddersfield.

Zara Begum, mitigating, explained that on the night of the incident her client was staying with a friend.

Slater’s son arrived and he wasn’t happy with him being there as he was drunk and had taken cocaine.

Miss Begum said: “His son was being aggressive and he was concerned that he would cause damage or steal something. He knew he shouldn’t drive but felt pressure to take him away from that.”

Magistrates were told that Slater got into his friend’s van to take his son back home.

Miss Begum added: “I’m sure he’s one of the worst you’ve seen in terms of driving whilst disqualified.”

The Huddersfield court was told that he became alcohol dependant following the break down of his relationship.

Miss Begum explained: “He drinks daily from first thing in the morning and wants to get out of this cycle.”

Magistrates sentenced Slater, of West Street in Pontefract, to three months in custody, suspended for a year.

He was ordered to undergo six months of alcohol treatment and complete 10 days of rehabilitation activities as part of a community order.

Slater must pay £115 victim surcharge and £85 court costs and was banned from driving for three years.