A TRAINEE soldier was described by his senior officer as having little respect for authority and a history of disobeying orders, a Swindon court heard.

Stephen Pickett, 18, was picked up by police speeding along The Packway, near Amesbury, at 3am on Sunday morning.

The Royal Artillery trainee, who lives on the Larkhill army base, was driving his friend’s Renault Clio without insurance and while subject to a two year ban – handed to him in March after he was convicted at Leeds Crown Court for dangerous driving.

Checks found he was over the drink driving limit, with 59 microgrammes in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

Swindon magistrates heard Pickett had a troubled history with the army authorities. Cpt Deakin of the Royal Artillery said the soldier had little to no respect for the chain of command, with blots on his record for going absent without leave and disobeying direct orders.

The officer dismissed Pickett as “frankly, unfit for service”.

Defending, Tony Nowogrodzki said his client had been on a night out in Andover with his fellow soldiers when he was handed the keys to his friend’s Renault Clio and decided to drive home.

“What a stupid thing to do start to finish. He should have just refused and he wouldn’t be here today,” the solicitor said, asking for Pickett to be given credit for pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity.

Pickett, 18, of 24 Irish Battery, Royal Artillery, Larkhill, admitted drink driving, driving without insurance and driving whilst disqualified.

He was sentenced to 12 weeks imprisonment suspended for 18 months and ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work and pay £207 in costs and surcharge. He was banned from driving for 30 months.