A ONE-LEGGED man has been given a suspended prison sentence for dangerous driving.

Simon John Kenton, 43, was caught after crashing a manual car that had not been adapted to his disability.

This led to him colliding with another car and trying to get away from the scene.

When Kenton was stopped by the police his teeth and lips were blue from the high volume of diazepam tablets he was taking.

Judge Beverley Lunt, sitting at Barrow Crown Court yesterday, heard that he was driving without a licence with one leg in a non-adapted car in October last year.

Later that year, he was found by the police in possession of an air rifle. At the time he was holding this at his head.

At the time the gun was "lethally barrelled", the court was told, and Kenton, of Tay Court, Barrow, had previous convictions which prevent him from having a gun in his possession.

Miss Claire Brocklebank, defending, said: "He takes full responsibility for this and if he does go to prison for a period of more than 13 weeks he stands at risk of losing his specially adapted home."

Kenton received an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.

He was also given a 12-month driving ban and will need to take an extended driving test to get it back after the ban has elapsed.

Judge Lunt said: "The prison service has better things to do than hospitalise you.

"Prison will do more damage than good to you, Mr Kenton. I do not want to see you back here again."