A man drove while drunk to pick up his daughter because she was being frightened by ''killer clowns'' a court heard.

Daniel Hood, of Glenside Close in Edgerton, was more than three times over the legal limit when he got behind the wheel on October 15.

His solicitor Ian Whiteley said: "He received a call from his daughter who told him that there were these guys in clown outfits out frightening people.”

Hood, who has two previous drink-drive convictions, then caught the attention of police after he failed to apply his car’s handbrake properly.

The 40-year-old had been due to stand trial but then pleaded guilty to a charge of driving while over the prescribed limit.

Kirklees Magistrates’ Court heard that he was arrested after he parked his Skoda in Halifax Old Road, Birkby.

He pulled on the handbrake but this was not working properly and the vehicle rolled backwards.

This caught the attention of police already in the area and Hood was arrested.

Breath tests showed he had 110 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

This was more than three times over the legal limit of 35 microgrammes.

The Huddersfield court heard that Hood already had two drink-driving convictions on his record.

A Road Traffic constable holding a breathalyser

These were dated from 2004 and 2007 and resulted in Hood being banned from driving for 16 months and then 36 months.

Mr Whiteley said that it was the birthday of Hood’s daughter and so he’d drunk one drink and had not intended to drive that night.

He then got a phone call from his terrified daughter and made the decision to go and collect her.

The incident happened when the so-called “killer clown” craze was in full swing across the country.

Young children and members of the public were left terrified by pranksters dressed in scary outfits.

Some clowns were spotted brandishing knives, chainsaws and other weapons.

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The unsettling craze began in the United States before spreading to other countries.

Hood claimed that he’d drunk just one drink, to which District Judge Michael Fanning replied: “It must have been a large single drink.”

Mr Whiteley said that his client was on medication at the time and this must have affected the reading.

Judge Fanning ordered a full report ahead of Hood’s sentencing on January 30.

He will be assessed to see if he is suitable for an alcohol treatment requirement.

Judge Fanning warned: “This is your third drink-driving offence and you put yourself at real risk of going to prison.”