A man who tried to take the rap for his drink drive cousin after he crashed his car into a lamppost in the town centre has been spared jail.

Marian Ivan had also been boozing before the Toyota Avensis piled into street light outside the Culvery Court hostel.

And after claiming he had been behind the wheel the 27-year-old also changed jackets with his relative to match the description of the driver given by witnesses.

But after hearing he had never been in trouble before and was never really believed by officer a judge fined him £300.

Tessa Hingston, prosecuting, said police were called to Holbrook Way following the smash at about 7.30pm on Tuesday November 14.

She said Ivan and another man, Marius Cozac, had been seen getting out of the vehicle and standing at the jnct5ion with Harding Street.

"The officers stopped and approached the two males standing beside the Avensis. They seemed to be arguing in their own language," she said.

"When the police arrived they both said they had been the driver. Both seemed extremely intoxicated and smelling strongly of alcohol.

"The police were approached by two members of the public who stated they had seen the whole incident.

"They were quite clear Cozac, who they identified at the scene, had been driving. The two intoxicated males kept arguing about who had been driving.

"After they had been placed in the rear of the police vehicle they swapped clothing with Mr Ivan donning the brown jacket which had been worn by Mr Cozac when he was driving."

The cousins were taken to the police station where both were breath tested with Ivan being two-and-a-half times the limit.

When he was questioned he repeated to officers that he had been driving saying they swapped places before getting out of the car.

Ivan, of Basildon, Essex, was charged with perverting the course of justice but that was dropped after he admitted obstructing police.

Miss Hingston said Cozac was also charged in relation with the incident but is now wanted on warrant after absconding.

Emma Hand slip, defending, said her client had lost all his family at 15 but his cousin worked to send money back to his relations in Romania.

She said he works six days a week in a factory earning about £132 a week.

Passing sentence Judge Robert Pawson said "You have pleaded guilty to an offence which is quite serious because it potentially undermines the system of justice and law enforcement.

"It could have led to injustice. You were drunk and in the circumstance it seems to me that the appropriate sentence is aggravated but I am prepared to deal with it by way of a financial penalty."