A NEWTOWN man who’d resorted to drinking two bottles of wine daily during the pandemic to deal with sleep deprivation has had the alcohol element of his court punishment removed.

Frank Selby has been making good progress on his 12-month community order that he was told to follow in February this year.

Welshpool Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, August 8, said the order would be allowed to continue but they removed the alcohol treatment requirement, which had been put in place for nine months and had three months to run.

The order was made on February 22 when Selby, 55, was seen “staggering” from his car – which he’d parked awkwardly on the pavement – carrying two empty vodka bottles, on November 30 last year.

He was found to be more than three times the legal drink drive limit, but said the high reading was due to drinking after he’d got home.

Selby was disqualified from driving for 25 months and ordered to adhere to a 12-month community order, which included the nine-month alcohol treatment programme.

Probation officer Julian Davies said this week: “There are no concerns regarding his current behaviour or lifestyle. He fully engages with his supervisor and is going to go to Stepping Stones to complete his rehabilitation days.

“He has been complying with Kaleidoscope prior to the order, of which he has done six months. There is sufficient time and he is currently abstinent from alcohol, so I propose to remove the final three months.”

Magistrates agreed to the application.