RAMSAY'S Kitchen Nightmares has ruined the life of Skipton man Tim Gray, a court heard.

Gray was working at Bonapartes restaurant in Silsden when it was savaged on Gordon Ramsay's hit television series three years ago.

He claimed the adverse publicity had indirectly led to him drink-driving.

He told Skipton magistrates on Wednesday that in order to escape a further beating by three men he had driven off in his car - despite knowing he was over the limit.

The court heard that Gray, 25, had wept in front of officers at Skipton Police Station and repeatedly claimed that the television programme had ruined his life.

Prosecutor Mark Haigh said Gray was stopped by a police officer as he drove along Water Street, Skipton, without any lights on, at just after midnight on May 13.

A roadside breath test proved positive and he was taken to Skipton Police Station where he was found to have 72 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

Mr Haigh said half an hour earlier Gray had gone to the police station where he had reported being assaulted by three men in the Breeze Bar.

He told the police that the men had punched him several times for, he believed, making derogatory comments about people from Skipton.

Gray was unsteady on his feet, very upset and crying and continually made references to Gordon Ramsay and the programme that had ruined his life.

In a statement read out in court, PC Mark Williams said Gray was very emotional and very drunk.

"Gray repeatedly made references to Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and it being responsible for ruining his life.

"He was concerned that the reason for the beating was previous derogatory comments about people in the Skipton area following his appearance on the Gordon Ramsay Nightmares programme."

PC Williams said he and a colleague had advised Gray to return the next day to complete a statement and advised him to get a taxi home.

Gray, now of Moorside Avenue, Eastburn, pleaded guilty to drink-driving but claimed he had special reasons in order to avoid losing his licence.

He said he had panicked and got into his car to avoid a further beating and that his intention was to avoid the men and get to his then girlfriend's house on Gargrave Road, Skipton.

"I caught sight of the people who had attacked me earlier. I started off running because I was scared of what might happen. I was drunk and I was thinking about people being attacked in the street.

"I reached the High Street where I had left my car and it felt like a safe haven, it felt like the right thing to do. It was basically to save my neck."

Gray denied getting into his car to avoid a taxi fare and said that it seemed the right thing to do at the time.

Magistrates refused to accept there were exceptional reasons why Gray chose to drive when he should have taken the officers' advice and got a taxi or walked to Gargrave Road.

Gray was banned from driving for 20 months, to be reduced to 15 months if he attends a drink-drivers rehabilitation course. He was also fined £250 and ordered to pay £200 costs.