Neil Fraser pictured in June when he sought publicity in the Gazette for his business Channel Ports and WinesALDBOURNE parish councillor Neil Fraser lied to police as they probed the alleged theft of his wife's car, a court heard.

Fraser, 44, was convicted of drink driving at a trial last month and he appeared at Kennet Magistrates Court in Devizes on Tuesday to be sentenced.

The court was told a police officer came across an unattended Vauxhall Astra estate car between Baydon and Aldbourne at 2.10am on February 9.

The car was extensively damaged. One of the tyres was missing and the windscreen was shattered and there was mud on the car.

Twenty minutes later Fraser, who was the registered keeper of the car, rang the police to tell them the car had been stolen and the officer went to Fraser's home in Chandlers Lane, Aldbourne.

Rachael Hume, prosecuting, said: "The officer saw mud on the carpet and leading up to the stairs and on the defendant's jacket. The defendant was intoxicated."

Mrs Hume said Fraser told the officer he had been out for the evening firstly at a tennis club function and then went to the Blue Boar pub after which his friends walked him home.

He told the officer he drank two and a half gin and tonics when he arrived home and he reported the car stolen because it was not outside the house.

Mrs Hume said: "Throughout, the police officer said the defendant was vague, hesitant and playing for time. The defendant's jacket was covered in mud and the key of the vehicle was found in the jacket pocket.

"The officer believed the defendant had been driving the vehicle so he arrested him for driving the vehicle while unfit."

Fraser was taken to Salisbury Police Station where a breath test showed his alcohol level to be 90 microgrammes in 100 millilitres of breath; the legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

Mrs Hume said Fraser admitted in his interview with the police that he had lied about the car being stolen and that he had driven it. She told the court: "He said he had an accident in the car and he came home and drank the gin and tonics. His defence was that he would not have been over the drink drive limit at the time of the accident.

"Expert evidence was put forward at the trial which showed he would have been over the drink drive limit. At his trial the magistrates did not believe he had drunk the gin and tonics at home."

This was Fraser's second drink drive offence. He was convicted of drink driving in 1999 and served a nine month driving ban and completed a drink drive rehabilitation course.

Trevor Line, defending, said at the time of the second offence Fraser's wife had left him temporarily.

Mr Line said: "Mr Fraser was under stress at the time and was in a bad way emotionally."

He said as a result of the offence Fraser had had to resign his job as a sales engineer for which he earned a 'substantial' salary.

Mr Line said Fraser took an active part in the Aldbourne community.

As well as being recently elected to the parish council, he is a member of Neighbourhood Watch, secretary of Aldbourne Rugby Club and on the committee of Aldbourne Tennis Club.

Mr Line said: "He is well liked and respected in the local community and it's a great shame he should have committed this offence."

Magistrates banned Fraser from driving for three years and refused to offer him the opportunity of going on a drink drive rehabilitation course.

He was also ordered to carry out 120 hours' of unpaid work in the community and ordered to pay costs of £275.

Fraser sought publicity earlier this year for his business supplying individually labelled bottles of champagne for special occasions.

He called the business Channel Ports and Wines and was running it from his home with his wife, Jaki, and with the help of his teenage daughter Joanna.

He sought the advice of TV business guru Sir John Harvey Jones who told him not to give up the day job just yet.

Fraser told the Gazette in June: "He thought it was a great idea and said it would take a year or two to take off."