A 51-year-old Southampton man has been fined and banned from the roads for drink-driving.

Appearing in Magistrates’ Court this morning, Duane Durham pleaded guilty to driving on Middle Road in Southampton while impaired by alcohol on March 8.

The court heard that police officers attended a three-vehicle road traffic collision at about 8.20pm and Durham was seen sitting in his car with his face in his hands.

When the officers spoke to him they noticed signs of intoxication and he was unsteady on his feet when he was asked to get out of the car.

And when asked if he had been drinking, he replied: “Yes, I had a couple.”

In court today, Durham apologised and said he took full responsibility for his actions.

Senior magistrate Juan Wolffe handed him a $1,200 fine and disqualified him from driving all vehicles for 18 months.

In another matter, a 47-year-old Southampton man was given two years’ probation for driving while disqualified.

McNeil Wilson pleaded guilty to committing the offence on March 4, as well as driving with no third party insurance. He also admitted to driving while disqualified in February.

The court heard that Wilson had already been charged four times for driving while disqualified in the past three years.

Wilson told the court that he was a recovering drug addict. He added that he suffered serious health problems as a result of an accident in 2014 and that he had been struggling to get his life back on track since.

But he added that he was seeking treatment for his drug problems and after speaking to Wilson’s sister, Mr Wolffe said a prison sentence “will ultimately not help”.

He instead ordered a drug assessment and sentenced Wilson to two years’ probation on the condition that he abstain from illegal drugs and alcohol, submit to random drug testing and attend any programmes deemed necessary, including Drug Treatment Court.

However, he warned Wilson that he would go to prison if he does not abide by the conditions of his probation.

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