POLICE detained a motorist after discovering the car he was driving had been tampered with.

Peter Anthony Humphreys accepted he had taken it without permission and a breath test showed he was nearly three times the alcohol limit, Wirral Magistrates heard.

Humphreys, 26, of St Laurence Close, Birkenhead, admitted unlawful taking of a car, drink driving and not having insurance. He also faced sentence for offences committed in North Wales, where he did not stop after two accidents.

Prosecutor Neil Tyrell told how a woman motorist involved in the second collision contacted police on her mobile phone as she followed Humphreys and he was eventually stopped at Bangor.

Humphreys admitted dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, not having insurance, obstructing the police by giving false details and two offences of failing to stop after an accident.

He said he was delivering a car to earn money for Christmas and panicked after the collisions with other vehicles.

Magistrates told Humphreys he was extremely lucky to escape going to prison.

He was ordered to do 80 hours community service and put on probation for a year with a condition to attend a car offenders programme. He was also banned from driving for two years and must pass an extended test at the end of the period to hold a full licence again.

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