A man involved in a second drink/drive incident in five days “effectively” handed himself in, driving straight to a police station car park waiting to be arrested.

David Hodgson came to police attention when he was arrested at a McDonald’s drive-thru while at the wheel of a silver Mercedes car apparently under the influence of alcohol, on January 4.

Newcastle Crown Court heard that police were summoned by a staff member at the drive-thru, in North Moor Road, Sunderland, due to the defendant’s condition.

Police found him in the driver’s seat of the vehicle and asked him to remove the keys from the ignition.

He refused and tried to drive off but did not get far as he was blocked in by the police van and a civilian car using the drive-thru at the time.

The Northern Echo: Police arrested defendant while apparently intoxicated at a McDonald's drive-thru

John Crawford, prosecuting, said Hodgson complied with a request to get out of the vehicle and had a glazed appearance, while also smelling strongly of alcohol.

But, when taken to a police station, he refused to give a breath sample for testing.

He was charged with failing to provide a breath specimen and bailed, but five days later was involved in another incident of apparent drink-driving.

Hodgson pulled into a residential street in Sunderland at speed in the Mercedes in the early hours of January 9.

A man sitting in his parked car nearby saw Hodgson go to a neighbour’s house to briefly speak to someone, before returning to his car and collapsing as he tried to get into the vehicle.

He was assisted to his feet by the witness, who tried to prevent Hodgson from driving off, given his state of apparent intoxication.

The Northern Echo:

Mr Crawford said Hodgson did, however, take to the wheel again, damaging the bodywork of his car and a parked vehicle nearby as he pulled away, so the onlooker rang the police to report the incident.

Hodgson, however, drove his damaged Mercedes straight to Southwick Police Station, where he waited in the car park to be arrested.

He claimed to have taken a mix of cocaine and heroin, so he was taken by police to a hospital for examination.

Mr Crawford said while at the hospital Hodgson, once more, refused to assist in the breath test procedure.

He had also urinated in the back of the police van while awaiting admission to the hospital.

The 42-year-old defendant, of Henley Road, Sunderland, admitted two counts of failing to provide a breath specimen for analysis, plus dangerous driving and criminal damage to the police van.

Mr Crawford said the defendant’s 36 past convictions feature a number of driving-related offences, including being drunk in charge of a vehicle, in 2022.

But his counsel, Shada Mellor, told the court Hodgson had gone almost 12 years prior to that without any convictions.

She said he offered his “sincere apologies” to all those people affected by his behaviour on the two nights in question.

“It has struck him to the core and led to a breakdown of his relationship with family members.”

She said the defendant has been told that the relationship would not be reconciled until he, “sorts himself out”, and he has begun to take steps to do so by not drinking at all since the incident on January 9.

Miss Mellor said the offences have also put the defendant’s job, as an asbestos stripper who often works away from the region, at risk, but he has been told he would be retained by his boss if he was to avoid an immediate custodial sentence.

She said while he is not considered alcohol-dependent, the defendant is prone to heavy bouts of drinking, once he starts.

Recorder Anthony Dunne told the defendant: “I’m sure you don’t need me to emphasise what a disgraceful, stupid and irresponsible pattern of behaviour this was.

The Recorder said it appears that the defendant turned to drinking heavily in late 2023 in response to an illness of a close family member.

“There had been a long gap in your offending from the early 2000s and I hope you can reflect on your recent conduct in future.”

Imposing a 16-month prison sentence, Recorder Dunne said due to the defendant’s general lack of offending in the last 13 years he could suspend the sentence for 18 months.

But he also made the defendant subject of an alcohol abstinence order for 120 days, to be monitored by a tag mechanism.

The Recorder said he hoped it would help to address the defendant’s tendency to binge drink.

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Hodgson was ordered to pay £50 compensation for the damage to the police vehicle in the drive-thru incident and £510 prosecution costs of the case.

He was also made subject of a three-year driving disqualification.

As Hodgson was about to leave the dock Recorder Dunne told him: “You have been given an opportunity today and I’m sure if you come back to any court over the next 18 months for any offence resembling this, then there will only be one outcome.”