A driver who was more than three-and-a-half times the drink drive limit when he arrived at the Sea Terminal to board a ferry has been jailed by the Deputy High Bailiff.

James Bruce Bulman, who is 47 and comes from Main Street, Cornhill on Tweed, in Northumberland, was caught out when staff at the dock side spotted him driving a black Peugeot, about to board the evening ferry on April 3.

For the prosecution, James Robinson told the court police were called as Bulman queued to board the boat. Suspicious Bulman had been drinking, staff pulled his car over into the search area.

’He was pulled over for a routine search and when he opened the car door there was a strong smell of alcohol,’ Mr Robinson said. ’He was told to pull over to the far side of the waiting area.’

When police approached the car they too could smell alcohol inside and concluded the driver could be drunk, Mr Robinson told the court.

Bulman was arrested and breathalysed, producing a breath reading of 135 - 100 over the legal drink drive limit of 35, and somewhat belying his claim to have ’only had one pint’.

Mr Robinson said the defendant had driven to his mother’s address in Douglas to drop her back home after a visit. But he admitted having stopped at a pub on North Quay where he had five drinks before going to the Sea Terminal. He said he had also drunk two cans of Carling lager.

He also said he had been drinking until 12.30am the night before and that could have contributed to his high reading.

Bulman admitted drink driving on April 3.

Sentencing him, Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes noted the charge was serious and the reading extremely high.

’This does pass the custody threshold and this was committed within a very short time of your arrival in the Isle of Man. You also have a prior conviction from 2011,’ she said.

Though the mileage Bulman had driven was not known, she added the standard of his driving would inevitably have been impaired by his alcohol reading, though there had been no collision.

Referring to a letter written to the bench by Bulman’s mother, who was present in court, Mrs Hughes added: ’His mother is very much concerned for her son and he clearly has a number of difficulties going on at the moment and that has underpinned the offence.’

He was sentenced to eight weeks’ imprisonment and banned from driving for six years - a year longer than the five year minimum for that reading, to reflect his previous drink driving conviction. He must pass an extended driving test and complete the drink drivers’ alcohol rehabilitation course.