A MAN who thought he followed the advice given in a rehabilitation course has been convicted of drink-driving a second time.

Michael Freeman was banned from driving for 12 months in 2011 after being found to be driving while over the limit and attended a course designed to educate people on limits, units, and dissipation times.

He successfully completed the course and followed the teachings for three years until May 2 when he was stopped by a police officer in Bewdley Road, Stourport, and gave a positive breath test for alcohol.

Mark Soper, prosecuting, said: "The officer was in the Stourport area in uniform and in a marked vehicle. He caused a Ford Scorpio to stop on the Bewdley Road. He had a word briefly and why he was driving and asked him to provide a roadside breath test which was positive."

The 70-year-old was taken to the police station where he provided a further reading of 52 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath - the legal limit being 35mcg in 100ml.

In mitigation, Ruth Edwards said the mechanic, who runs his own garage, will no run the risk of having to close his business because of this unexpected conviction.

"He has completed the drink-drive course before which made him very careful of being over the limit," she said. "He felt the information given to him on the course regarding dissipation periods was useful and that he had followed these but would ask to do the course again to find out what he had missed to make sure he did not make the mistake again."

Freeman, of Bullus Road, Stourport, pleaded guilty to drink-driving at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday, May 21.

Because this was his second conviction in four years, he was banned from driving for 38 months and ordered to pay a £200 fine, £85 in prosecution costs, a £20 victim surcharge, and £150 in court charges. The court did offer the defendant a second chance to under take the course which would also give him the chance to reduce his disqualification by 25 per cent if completed successfully.