A drink-driver threw a can of beer from the car and then refused to give his personal details to police.

Constantin-Cosmin Gaura pleaded guilty to charges of driving while over the prescribed limit and using a vehicle without insurance.

The 30-year-old caught the attention of police as he drove a Vauxhall Corsa along Manchester Road in Thornton Lodge yesterday at 9.30pm (Oct 30).

Jill Seddon, prosecuting, told Kirklees Magistrates’ Court: “The vehicle was swerving sideways in the road and then pulled back before it hit the kerb.

“The driver was struggling to keep the car in between the lines and, upon stopping the vehicle, he threw a can of alcohol out of the window.”

The officers spoke with Romanian-born Gaura, who claimed that he could not speak English.

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Mrs Seddon said: “He initially refused to give his address and then gave the address of Moorbottom Road in Thornton Lodge after it was found on a prescription that he had in his possession.

“Officers went to that address but the property appeared to be empty.”

Gaura was arrested and taken to Huddersfield Police Station where breath tests showed that he had 47 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

He was produced to the court in custody after being held overnight because “police were not satisfied that he’d come to court”, Mrs Seddon said.

Sam Jackson, mitigating, explained that his client had been in the UK for two months.

He said that the car belonged to his cousin, who he was staying with, and intended to return to Romania soon.

Mr Jackson added that Gaura had drunk three or four cans of beer and was on his way to a local shop just a few kilometres from his address when police stopped him.

The court heard that Gaura had no previous convictions, either in this country or Romania.

District Judge Michael Fanning told Gaura: “This is a low reading, nonetheless, you put other road users at risk and you were uninsured.”

He banned him from driving for 15 months and ordered him to pay £240 fine, £85 court costs and £30 victim surcharge.