A ‘good samaritan’ has been fined £600 and banned from driving for 12 months after admitting drink-driving.

Matthew Lambah said that he was giving a lift to a man who had fallen over in Peel when he failed a breathalyser test.

The 37-year-old was also ordered to take an extended test at the end of his ban.

Prosecuting advocate Barry Swain told the court that Lambah was initially seen by police walking on East Quay in Peel at 12.10am on July 3.

He was then seen shortly afterwards driving in the same area.

Police followed him and he stopped near Jade Harbour restaurant.

When officers spoke to him he was said to be smelling of alcohol and said that he had drunk ‘one beer’.

He failed a roadside breathalyser test and was subsequently arrested.

At police headquarters, he failed a further test with the reading of 46. The legal limit is 35.

He was offered the option of a blood test, as is the legal option for readings under 50, but declined.

During an interview, Lambah told police that he was walking home when he saw a man fall over and smash his face on the ground, so he had decided to get his car to try to help him.

Defence advocate John Wright said that the prosecution facts were accepted and that it had been a case of a ‘good samaritan act gone wrong’.

Mr Wright said that despite this, there did not appear to be ‘special reasons’ which would spare his client from a ban.

‘My client is ex-military. Until fairly recently he has been on a humanitarian mission in Ukraine deactivating IEDs from corpses left by the Russians,’ said the advocate.

‘After three months he came back to the island. His employer had let him go on a three-month furlough.’

Mr Wright said that Lambah had gone out for a drink on Viking boat race day and had seen someone fall over and suffer a facial injury.

Lambah said he had gone to Peveril to try to get a taxi for the man, as he didn’t appear to need urgent medical attention, but they had been unable to get a cab so he had decided to drive the man home.

Mr Wright said that Lambah had then stopped the car as the man was going to be sick, which was when police arrived.

Letters from the man and a member of staff at the Peveril were supplied to the court by Mr Wright, backing up Lambah’s story.

The advocate said: ‘It is probably the best mitigation I have heard for a long time.’

Deputy High Bailiff James Brooks told Lambah: ‘I do accept this was an effort at being a good samaritan that has gone very wrong. The worst that could have happened is you ended up causing injury to others.’

Mr Brooks said that he had reduced the fine after taking into account the mitigation and also ordered Lambah to pay £125 prosecution costs.

He was given six months to pay both the fine and costs.