A 24 pints-a-day drinker and father of seven children, 33-year-old Anthony Banks of Orchid Drive, Bury, is back in prison, where he has spent most of his adult life.

He appeared at Bolton Crown Court on Tuesday accused of assault causing bodily harm, criminal damage, drink driving and disqualified driving.

It was his 33rd court appearance for a variety of offences, including five previous appearances for drink driving.

Miss June Morris, prosecuting, said that the day after being released on licence from his last jail term in September last year, Banks beat up his girlfriend Tracey Dean in a row over whether or not their children should be allowed to visit their grandmother.

In November, Banks smashed a glass screen at Bell Lane post office after staff had refused to cash a giro cheque which had been reported "lost or stolen".

In February this year while driving a car, Banks ran into the back of another vehicle which had stopped at traffic lights in Bolton Road, Bury, she stated.

When tested, Banks was found to have more than three times the alcohol limit in his blood for driving. He was also disqualified from driving at the time, Miss Morris said.

Mr Tim Brennand said drink was a major problem for Banks, whom he described as "a hopeless and hapless alcoholic, well capable of drinking 24 pints of lager a day".

He said Banks had managed to stay out of jail for only one year of his adult life.

That was when he got a job and moved away from his drinking friends, Mr Brennand explained.

Judge Bruce Macmillan sitting with magistrates said Banks had an appalling record having made 32 previous court appearances.

For the assault on Tracey Dean, he ordered that Banks should go back to prison to serve the remainder of the sentence for which he was on licence, a total of seven months. Additionally he imposed sentences totalling eleven months for the criminal damage and driving offences and disqualified Banks from driving for ten years.

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