THE most famous tramp in the North will be released from prison early after having his drink-drive sentence halved at Teesside Crown Court yesterday.

Well-educated Mel Bird, who regularly held court in Leyburn Market Place, North Yorkshire, was jailed for six months by Richmond magistrates in October

The 57-year-old vagrant had inherited almost £8,000 and bought a Volvo car - forgetting he had earlier been banned from the roads for ten years.

He was stopped by police as he headed to Northallerton to open a bank account and was found to be driving with four times the legal limit of alcohol and driving while disqualified.

Yesterday, Bird's barrister, Aisha Wadoodi, told the court her client was a well-known vagrant in the Leyburn area, who had made the headlines when he was befriended by Lady Bolton, whose family own Bolton Castle Estate.

Mr Bird had suffered a sad life with bouts of ill health and at the time of the offences was depressed following the death of his mother, aunt and close friend all within a week, she said.

Richmond magistrates had given him no credit for his guilty pleas and imposed the maximum sentence for his offences, she said.

Recorder Morris cut the term to three months telling Bird that having read the probation officer's report, he did not feel he would benefit from a community service order.