A father who drove with his three-year-old son on his lap while more than three times the drink-drive limit has escaped going to jail.

Jeremy Double was told by the chairman of the bench of Ashford magistrates David Tawney: “This was made more serious by the fact that you had a young child on your lap.

“It was extremely dangerous and stupid.”

Double, 34, of Bowens Field, Ashford, came close to being jailed by the court, getting a suspended sentence, and was banned from the road for at least two years.

Carl Ward, prosecuting, said that police spotted Double in his Peugeot 206 at 2.20pm on May 17, turning from Bond Road in Ashford into Musgrove.

He said: “Police saw he was not wearing a seatbelt and there was a small child on his lap.

“They spoke to the defendant and noticed that his breath smelt of alcohol, his eyes were glazed and his speech was slurred.”

A breath test at Ashford Police Station showed that Double had 121 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, when the limit is 35, and officers interviewed him.

Mr Ward said: “Mr Double said that his three-year-old son had got out of his child seat and sat on his lap for about 30 seconds.

“He said he put the seatbelt on himself and his child and was doing about 20mph.”

Double pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol and driving dangerously.

Steve Tarleton said that his client did not dispute the prosecution case but insisted he was wearing a seat belt, otherwise an alarm in the car would have warned him.

Double had no previous convictions and Mr Tarleton said: “He had consumed a lot of beer the night before and topped it up with a couple of pints in the early part of lunchtime.”

Mr Tarleton said that Double’s son had been in the back of the car with a seat belt and child seat but wriggled out and clambered over the seat to sit with his father.

Mr Tarleton said that Double was a man of “utmost good character” but had mental health problems.

Double’s family had a history of suicide and attempted suicide among male members although he was seeking help from mental health services for himself, Mr Tarleton added.

The court heard that Double’s relationship had broken down and his son was not living with him but he had now found a job.

Mr Tarleton added: “He has shown a great deal of remorse.”

Magistrates, who had read pre-sentence reports, gave Double a four-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months.

He was also made to work with probation services to deal with alcohol misuse and carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

Double was also was banned from driving for 32 months, reduced to 24 if he takes a drink-driver rehabilitation course.

After the ban Double will only have a provisional licence and will not get a full one until he passes his driving test again. He was also ordered to pay £60 prosecution costs.