A FORMER soldier has been jailed after admitting taking his sister's car without consent, while over the drink-drive limit, before crashing into another vehicle in Flintshire.

Jack Stanley Flint, 23, of no fixed abode, said at the time of the incident in the early hours of the morning of June 7 he was living with his head in his hand and using alcohol as an escape.

Justin Espie, prosecuting, told a hearing at North East Wales Magistrates Court, that it was at about 7am when Flint got behind the wheels of the BMW Mini before he collided with another car on Kelsterton Road in Connah's Quay and subsequently failed to stop.

Mr Espie said the driver of that other vehicle suffered injuries and when Flint was stopped by police further down the road, he threw the keys at the feet of a police officer and admitted taking his sister's car without consent after he had been drinking.

Flint, who joined the Army at 16, was more than two-and-a-half times the drink-drive limit. He was found to have 92 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, the limit being 35mg.

He had already been convicted of similar charges back in October 2015 when he was given a community order.

The matter had been adjourned from June 21 to allow time for a Probation Service report which revealed Flint was living at his mother's home at the time of the incident and he had been burying his head in the sand, having lost his job.

Since his conviction in 2015 for similar offences Flint had also been subject to a restraining order which had been made more arduous in June after he failed to adhere to it.

District Judge Gwyn Jones told Flint sentenced Flint to an immediate sentence of 22 weeks, of which he will serve half.

Judge Jones told the Mold court: "It is significant that this is not the first time you have been charged with such offences.

"However, you appeared in these courts on June 5 this year when a community order you had received in March was made more arduous.

"Within 48 hours you carried out this offence, which shows you obviously treat this court with contempt.

"The fact you came back here within two days demonstrates an arrogant disregard of this court.

"It was totally and utterly selfish behaviour which showed a complete disregard for others."