Dad was FOUR times over limit when he drove son (5) through Bassetlaw village

A Doncaster dad was more than four times over the drink drive limit when he drove his five-year-old son through a Bassetlaw village, a court heard.
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Stewart McGarry’s Peugeot 307 was stopped by police officers on Bawtry Road, Harworth, on January 7, following a tip off.

He told police he had seen a friend and drank one bottle of beer, but the reading was so high because of the alcohol he had consumed previously, the court heard.

A test revealed he had 144 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, when the legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

McGarry, 38, of Shooters Hill Drive, Rossington, admitted driving with excess alcohol when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Friday.

The court heard had a previous conviction for drink driving from 2012.

Probation officer Sarah Phillips said McGarry had “used alcohol as a coping strategy during a difficult period.”

“He was called to the hospital on Christmas Eve because his sister was in intensive care. She sadly passed away,” she said.

She said the father-of-two would be affected by the inevitable ban as his job is 30 miles from where he lives, and he has the care of two children at weekends.

Magistrates told McGarry the custody threshold had been passed and sentenced him to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months.

He was told that he had been “totally irresponsible” and a “danger to other road users.”

He was banned for 28 months and ordered to carry out 15 rehabilitation activity requirements. He must also pay a £115 government surcharge and £85 court costs.