Jacob Craig McBean sentenced after drink driving to shops, answering mobile phone and crashing in East Tamworth

Jacob Craig McBean, 33, was sentenced to a six-month intensive corrections order - a custodial sentence in the community - in Tamworth Local Court on Monday.

He had pleaded guilty to charges of mid-range drink driving and using a mobile phone.

Magistrate Julie Soars also handed McBean 40 hours of community service, disqualified him from driving for four months and ordered he have an interlock in his car for a year.

He was slapped with a $500 fine for the second charge.

The court heard McBean had been charged with four other drink driving-related offences in the past 15 years.

Ms Soars warned McBean it could have been him "dead on the road that night".

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She repeated that it was a "knife edge" decision to allow him to serve his sentence in the community rather than behind bars.

"Driving is so important in the country so you can not have alcohol in your system and drive again," Ms Soars told McBean.

Defence solicitor Andrew O'Halloran told the court he was not there to make excuses.

However, he submitted McBean and his partner were caring for their young baby at the time of the offending.

He said the family had run out of essential supplies on the night of November 26 last year, when McBean made the "foolish" decision to drive to the supermarket after drinking alcohol.

While driving his Toyota Hilux along an East Tamworth Street on his way home, McBean answered a call on his mobile phone.

He then swerved towards the left-hand kerb and collided with a parked Toyota Prado, wracking up a total damage bill to both cars of more than $6000.

He blew a blood alcohol reading of 0.133 at Tamworth Police Station after his arrest, more than double the legal limit.

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