A MAN has been given a three-year road ban – for driving a toy car while drunk.

Paul Hutton, 40, admitted he’d been a “complete twit” after having a drink and getting behind the wheel of the tiny electric-powered Barbie car, which goes slower then a mobility scooter.

But he said he was still surprised by the punishment he received.

Colchester Magistrates’ Court heard a police patrol car spotted Hutton, of Fern Way, Jaywick, driving the 4ft by 2ft white toy jeep near his home and pulled him over. Hutton, a former RAF aeronautical engineer who studies electrical engineering at Colchester Institute, said he was only driving it to a friend’s house to show off his latest college project.

He was breathlysed and found to be over the drink-drive limit.

Speaking after being given the three-year driving ban, Hutton, who is 6ft tall, said he could only drive the converted car with his knees tucked under his chin.

He said: “You have to be some kind of contortionist to get in, and then you can’t get out.

“I was very surprised to get done for drink-driving, but I was a twit to say the least.

“It only goes at walking speed and is designed for three to five-year-olds.

“Originally it was a pink Barbie car, but I put bigger wheels on it. It’s not fast.

“I’m not unhappy with my punishment, just a little bit surprised.” Hutton said he began working on the car with his son Simon, 17, for a college project after finding it dumped in Gorse Lane, Clacton.

He pleaded guilty to driving the toy jeep while drunk. Because the dad-of-four has had a drink-drive ban within the last ten years, he was given a mandatory three-year ban by the court.

Magistrates also gave him a conditional discharge for the offence, to run for 12 months. He was ordered to pay £85 in court costs.Chairman of the bench Neal Munson said: “This is most unusual.

“I have never seen the like of it in 15 years on the bench.

“The vehicle is not even capable of doing the speed of a mobility scooter and it could be outrun by a pedestrian.

“Taking this into account, we feel we can impose a sentence of a conditional discharge for a period of 12 months.”