A snooker star drove into a police station car park while he was over the limit - to collect the son of former world champion Stephen Hendry from a police cell.

James Cahill pulled into the car park and asked a police officer if he knew where the police station was - and was told it was right in front of him.

But Cahill - who had been on a night out with his cousin Blaine Hendry - still smelled of alcohol and both ended up being convicted of drink driving after the same night out.

Cahill was banned from the road for 12 months and fined 300 pounds after he admitted the offence at Perth's Justice of the Peace court.

Fiscal depute Bill Kermode said: "At around 4.15am a police officer observed a car enter the public car park outside the police divisional HQ in Perth.

"The accused exited the vehicle and asked the officer where the police station was. He said he intended to speak to his cousin who had just been arrested for drink driving.

"The officer noted a smell of alcohol. A roadside breath test was positive and the accused identified himself as the driver. He made no reply to caution and charge."

Solicitor Graham Walker, defending, said: "He is a professional sportsman. He is a stranger to alcohol. He is a snooker player in the early stages of his career.

"His driving licence is important to him and he realises he will lose it. He has a very erratic income, only secured on winnings. That pot of winnings is not enormous."

Cahill, whose mother Maria was a top ladies professional player, recently lost his first round match 6-3 to Scotsman Anthony McGill in the UK Snooker Championships in York.

Cahill, who is ranked 107 in the world, won the European Under-21 Championship in 2013 and made the last 16 of the UK Snooker Championship last year by knocking out world number three Ding Junhui.

In September, Blaine Hendry was banned from driving after he was caught drunk at the wheel of a luxury 50,000 pounds car during the same night out.

The 18-year-old student complained he had "a limited income" and told a court that he was given just 50 pounds a week allowance by his multi-millionaire father.

The teenager told Perth Sheriff Court the monthly pocket money the former World Champion gave him was not enough to cover his transport costs to college.

Hendry, whose address was given as the family home in Auchterarder, Perthshire, admitted driving while he was more than twice the legal alcohol limit.