A DRINK driver who crashed his car and left it on its side asked another motorist not to tell the police - but he didn't realise she was actually an officer herself.

Jishant Joy, of Princess Street, appeared at Wrexham Magistrates Court on Tuesday morning.

The 44-year-old admitted that on October 6, at Bradley Road in the city, he drove a Honda motor vehicle after consuming so much alcohol that the proportion of it in his breath exceeded the prescribed limit.

He was found to have 80 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, the limit being 35.

Rhian Jackson told the court that on the evening of the offence, a woman was driving on Bradley Road towards Watery Road when she saw Joy's vehicle collide with a parked car and "flip" onto its side, sliding diagonally along the road and coming to a stop in front of her vehicle.

READ MORE: Wrexham woman fined and banned for drink-driving

She ran to see if the driver was ok, and found Joy standing in the sideways vehicle - his head coming out of the driver window and his feet on the passenger window.

He had an open can of beer, the court heard, and more cans were visible in the vehicle.

"Please don't phone the police," he asked her.

But the woman he was speaking to was in fact an off-duty police officer and could smell alcohol on his breath.

Within minutes the emergency services has been informed and Joy was breath-tested.

He was found to be more than twice the legal limit.

Alex Mackenzie, defending, told the court her client is an agency worker who had made a "stupid mistake."

She conceded the collision could aggravate his position.

District Judge Gwyn Jones told the defendant: "There is evidence of poor driving - you were obviously anxious that the police were not summoned.

Make sure you don't miss the top court stories of the week by signing up to our free court newsletter

The Leader:

"Unfortunately for you, the vehicle behind you was an off-duty officer.

"You are a person of good character in full time employment."

Joy was fined £288 and ordered to pay £150, as well as £85 costs.

He was banned from driving for 22 months.