AN addict who caused an accident while driving under the influence of drugs has been jailed for eight months.

Paul Michael Nicholson, 37, committed a catalogue of crimes including several raids on York shops, and motoring offences, in just under four months, the city's magistrates heard.

He also breached court orders imposed to give him a chance to reform himself without going to prison.

Defence solicitor Craig Robertson pleaded with magistrates to defer sentence so that Nicholson could show that the illness of his partner had made him a changed man.

Senior magistrate Graeme Robertson said it was a difficult case, but Nicholson had repeatedly failed to do non-custodial punishments. He and his colleagues jailed Nicholson for eight months and banned him from driving for 18 months.

Nicholson, of Kensall Villas, Fulford Road, York, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of drugs, stealing a bank card and using it to obtain £33.70 in cash and goods from Martins Early to Late store by deception, obtaining £50 in cash by deception by pawning a stolen item, two failures to attend court, breaching a combination order imposed for thefts and deceptions and two offences each of driving without insurance and without a licence.

Helen Dawson, prosecuting, said Nicholson was driving an Astra that crashed into a stationary Ford on the opposite side of Bellhouse Way, Foxwood, which shunted into another car on June 25. The Astra and Ford were both damaged.

Mr Robertson said Nicholson's offences were typical of a drug addict.

He had not committed any new offences since the bank card crimes on July 1. Since then his partner had learnt she had cancer and Nicholson was helping her and her children.

Updated: 09:58 Friday, January 24, 2003