CHIPPENHAM NEWS: A DRINK-driver has been spared a jail sentence after a court heard his attempted murder prompted him to kick a 30 pints a day cider habit.

Simon Sproule, 31, of Charles Street, Corsham, was run down in March by two youths who stole a quad bike bought for his 12-year-old daughter

The former alcoholic, who was caught drink-driving twice last year, spent a week fighting for his life in hospital and said this was the wake-up call he needed to beat his addiction.

Magistrates at Chipp-enham on Friday decided not to jail him after he pleaded guilty to two drink-driving charges.

Speaking after the court case Sproule, still in a neck brace due to the attack, said: "I was very, very scared when I went to court. I thought 'that's it I'm going to prison'. I didn't want to go, obviously nobody does, and I was very fortunate."

Magistrate Graham Hogger said: "For blood alcohol levels this high we would normally impose a custodial sentence.

"The risks to the public with figures this high are enormous. This is an unusual move but then this is an unusual case."

Susan Cavender, prosecuting, said Sproule was spotted drinking cider behind the wheel in his driveway last June by his policeman neighbour.

Six months later he was spotted at the wheel of a green Ford Mondeo on his home street and was found to have 136mg of alcohol in 100ml blood, more than four times the legal limit.

Alex Daymond, defending, said: "Standing before you is a man substantially changed. The reason he appears in a neck brace is because he was recently the victim of an attempted murder. Two youths ran over him with his daughter's quad bike."

He told magistrates Sproule had seen the hit-and-run as the catalyst he needed to get his life back on track and said custody would be a major setback for him.

Sproule has vowed never to drink again and goes to five Alcoholics Anonymous meetings each week.

His doctor has warned him he will die if he keeps drinking. Two years ago a cardiac arrest left him clinically dead for two-and-a-half minutes and doctors gave him just a 50 per cent chance of survival.

Sproule, who is dyslexic, now hopes to take a reading and writing course at Chippenham College and wants to work helping alcoholics and drug addicts.

Describing the hit-and-run, he said: "I jumped out in front of them like an idiot but I wasn't going to let them get away with it.

"They just ran me over and left me. A mate found me in the road and phoned for an ambulance. I had been knocked out and woke up in hospital."

The quad bike was returned about six weeks ago but was stolen again a few days later and he has not seen it since.

Sproule pleaded guilty to two counts of drink driving, two counts of driving without a licence and one count of driving without insurance.

He was given a 12-month conditional discharge, disqualified from driving for three years and ordered to pay £70 costs.