A man from the north of England took a car without permission when in Helston and drove it around the town while disqualified and more than double the drink drive limit.

He found himself back in Cornwall last week, this time to appear before magistrates in Truro.

Before the bench was 20-year-old Niall Howell, who admitted a series of crimes dating back to last summer.

All related to July 15, 2021, when Howell took an Audi A4 in Helston without the consent of the owner and then damaged it before it could be recovered.

Howell, of Park View, Fishburn, in Durham, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking and vehicle damage worth £5,000 or over.

Magistrates were told there were no other aggravating factors aside from the damage.

During the same hearing, Howell also pleaded guilty to driving on the A3083 Helston to Lizard road whilst disqualified, driving a motor vehicle on a road without insurance, and driving while two and a half times the drink drive limit.

The court heard that after being stopped by police, Howell was found to have 212 milligrammes of alcohol in every 100 millilitres of breath – the legal limit being 80 milligrammes.

Magistrates found the offences, when added together, to be so serious that they merited a prison sentence.

However, they agreed that this should be suspended, sentencing Howell to 12 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months.

He was also ordered to pay £100 in compensation, £85 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service and a £128 surcharge to fund victim services.

Howell was banned for driving for 12 months, and told his sentence would have been longer had he not pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.