Two off-duty police officers chased and caught a drink driver when he crashed his car outside their home and tried to flee with a bag of cannabis, a court heard.

The officers were woken by the sound of Azan Kara's Vauxhall Astra ploughing into a stationary vehicle in Birstall earlier this year.

They went outside to ensure he was okay, but quickly realised the 28-year-old was under the influence of alcohol or drugs as his speech was slurred and he was falling in and out of consciousness.

However, as they comforted him - and summoned colleagues from Leicestershire Police and an ambulance - Kara grabbed a bag of cannabis he had taken from his car and tried to run away.

The officers chased him down and their colleagues arrived in time to find one of them restraining him.

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Kara, of Queensgate Drive, Birstall, appeared at Leicester Magistrates' Court to plead guilty to drink driving and possession of cannabis in the early hours of Saturday, May 9 this year.

Prosecutor Neil Hollett told the court: "The two off-duty officers were woken by the sound of an impact outside their home.

"They went outside to speak to this defendant, who was just getting out of his vehicle and appeared to be injured.

"They sat him down in their porch to wait for an ambulance and as they spoke to him he appeared to be under the influence of some substance.

"He was slurring his words and going in and out of consciousness."

At one point, the officers said, he went back to his car and retrieved a blue holdall bag, Mr Hollett said.

Greengate Lane, Birstall

"They went to the vehicle themselves and they could smell cannabis.

"They took him back to the porch to continue to take care of him, but he gripped the bag and tried to run off.

"He is chased and detained shortly afterwards."

In the meantime, other police officers had arrived at the scene in Greengate Lane, off the A6 near the centre of the village.

Mr Hollett said: "He is handcuffed and taken to hospital. His bag was found to contain cannabis.

"The police obtained permission for a blood sample to be taken.

"His reading was 147mg of alcohol in blood - the legal limit is 80mg."

Ziyad Lunat, representing Kara, told magistrates: "Unfortunately another person of essentially good character appears before the court on a drink driving matter.

"Drink driving is never acceptable and this defendant concedes that.

"This happened during the lockdown and he had been through some stressful moments.

"He had lost his job and was under financial strain.

"He lives with his family and he had an argument over finances and he decided to meet some friends - and he had a few drinks.

"He should have got a taxi,but he made the decision to drive and had the collision, injuring himself but nobody else.

"He has sought to address his issues, so he has stopped drinking and has got onto a course to learn plastering.

"He is a responsible and hardworking person."

Kara was banned from driving for 17 months, although this will be reduced by 17 weeks if he pays for and completes a drink driving awareness course.

He was fined £69 and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £34.