A MAN has told a court he faces losing his job, his home and will have to put his wedding on hold after a glass of bourbon over dinner put him over the drink-drive limit.

Devout Christian Thomas Pittock broke down in the dock at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday as he urged the bench not to ban him from driving as he would lose his livelihood.

The court heard there were many members of the community who were reliant on him for transport to church, and without his licence he would lose his job.

His voluntary work with the Rapid Relief Team was also going to suffer as a consequence. But despite this, the magistrates said their hands were tied and they had to disqualify him.

The court heard from Crown Prosecutor Pauline Lambert that police officers on a mobile patrol had pulled 25-year-old Pittock over after spotting him make off from traffic lights on the A419 "at speed" in his 16-plate VW Golf on June 10.

They pulled him over on Burytown Lane where he told them he had had a bourbon about an hour earlier.

After failing a roadside breath test he was taken into custody where he provided a reading of 50 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35mcg.

The magistrates read a number of character references, including one from his employers, and also heard that the Hunts Hill, Blunsdon, resident already had six points on his licence.

His defence Matthew Jackson explained that his client’s driving licence was not only vital for him to carry out his job, but also to transport a number of members of the church’s congregation to and from services.

“His current employment is based almost entirely on being able to drive, both in the UK and Europe,” he said.

“The inevitable outcome of this offence is that he is going to lose his job.

"In the last few years he has just purchased his first house and it is likely he is not going to be able to keep up the payments on that. He is also due to get married in September, there is quite a high likelihood he will not be able to proceed with his marriage.”

He explained that at the time of the offence Pittock had been driving his mother to see a friend who had recently had a foot operation. While there he had had a drink.

“It was on the way home he was stopped by the police, but he does not accept that he was unsteady on his feet,” said Mr Jackson.

“He told the officers he had had a drink and that is why they decided to breathalyse him.

“He is a responsible young man who has made a mistake.”

Asking to speak to the magistrates directly, Pittock told them: “I am currently in a state of remorse and regret. This is the worst time for this to happen in my life. It was a big mistake and it will take away my will to go on if I get any such ban.

"It was a huge mistake and I had no intention to get here at all. I appeal to you to consider the situation it will leave me in.”

But chairman of the bench Timothy Foster told him they had no choice but to ban him and disqualified him for 12 months, but gave him the option to complete a drink-driver’s awareness course that would reduce the length of the ban.

He must also pay a fine of £900, a victim surcharge of £90 and court costs of £85.