A man has been spared jail after driving dangerously with a child in the car with him.

Zaffar Hussain, 49, of St Pauls Avenue, Slough, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and failing to provide a specimen for analysis to the police.

This comes after an incident on December 11 last year.

Hussain, a former community carer, was caught driving well over the speed limit in Wexham Road, Slough.

There was a child in the car with him.

Defence barrister Forz Khan described the defendant as a man who is "screaming out for help."

He outlined Hussain's history of alcoholism.

Although it is suspected that the defendant was driving under the influence at the time of the offence, this cannot be confirmed, as Hussain refused to provide a sample to be tested for alcohol.

Mr Khan told Recorder Daniel Edwards: "Idiotic though he [the defendant] is, Your Honour can take a course which allows him to mend his ways, become, once again, an honest member of society."

In the end, the judge decided against immediately jailing the defendant - though he stressed Hussain's driving on the day was so reckless that a community sentence was not warranted.

He handed down a 28-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.

Recorder Edwards urged Hussain to take advantage of all opportunities for rehabilitation available to him.

He said: "There is assistance that can be given to you. I sincerely hope that you take it."