A ROYAL Marine will have to convince the authorities he is a safe person to have a driving licence after he was caught drink driving for the second time in 10 years, York magistrates said.

They heard Thomas Abram, 33, was nearly three times the legal alcohol limit when he was stopped early on April 10.

Katy Varlow, prosecuting, said McDonalds staff had contacted police after he visited their fast food outlet.

“He appeared to be under the influence of alcohol when he left the restaurant and got into a vehicle,” said Katy Varlow, prosecuting.

When police found him, Abram’s car was weaving back and forth across the white central lines in Heworth village.

Abram, of South View, Dam Lane, Leavening, Malton, pleaded guilty to drink driving and was banned from driving for three years and six months.

Magistrates heard he had been banned from driving for 18 months in 2009 for drink driving and careless driving.

They told him he would have to convince DVLA he was safe to drive before getting his driving licence back at the end of the ban because of the level of alcohol in his body on April 10, and the fact that it was his second drink driving conviction within 10 years.

Ms Varlow said Abram’s breath test gave a reading of 100 micrograms in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

In addition to the ban, Abram was fined £461 as a direct alternative to a community punishment with a £46 statutory surcharge and £85 prosecution costs.

Adam Henry, for Abram, said it would be very difficult for him to do unpaid work or observe a curfew because of his military duties.

He said Abram only spent two weeks out of every nine in North Yorkshire because of his military duties.

The solicitor handed in a document from the Royal Marines about what he said was the “considerable money” invested in training Abram and said a lengthy ban could affect the marine’s chances of pursuing career options within the Royal Marines.

Magistrates heard his conviction will lead to Abram being disciplined within the

military.