A RECOVERING alcoholic wrote off a parked car when he tried to cheer himself up by going for a drive, York magistrates heard.

The DVLA had refused to give Jared John Longhorne, 25, a driving licence until he could convince them he no longer had a drink problem, said Katy Varlow, prosecuting.

But just after midnight he was at the wheel of a Fiat that crashed into a parked Audi when he lost control on Melrosegate, Tang Hall on June 17. He drove off immediately and didn't leave his details. The Audi had to be written off.

He had a previous conviction for drink driving in 2015.

Kevin Blount, for Longhorne, said of the Melrosegate incident: "This is not an alcohol linked offence. He was struggling to cope with his mental health.

He said Longhorne had had an alcohol problem for a number of years but has been clean of alcohol since February 18.

The 25-year-old, who suffers from depression and anxiety, was feeling low on June 17 because he was on his own at home.

He had decided to cheer himself up by going for a drive and listening to music, said Mr Blount.

Longhorne, of Irwin Ave, Heworth Green, pleaded guilty to careless driving, failure to stop after an accident, driving without a licence and without insurance.

He was fined £290 with a £30 statutory surcharge and £85 prosecution costs and given eight penalty points on any licence he may have in the future.

Ms Varlow said Longhorne rang police after leaving the accident scene to tell them what he had done, but didn't follow their advice to return to the scene to leave his details.

Mr Blount said Longhorne couldn't face the journey on foot back to the crash scene.

At the time of the court hearing, he was on sick leave because of his mental health problems and was working with medical staff.

He would have to produce detailed medical evidence before getting a driving licence again.