A CARLISLE dad was left suicidal after his carer’s allowance was halted for more than three months.

The court heard how Dan-Lucian Muca’s mother had been paying for his rent - charged at £390 a month - as his £66 a week carer’s allowance was his primary income.

The carer’s allowance is paid as he looks after his ex-partner.

Muca, 35, had racked up court bills for an assault in August 2016 and another fine for keeping a vehicle without a valid licence last year.

“I have not been very well for the last three years,” he told Carlisle’s magistrates’ court on Wednesday.

“My carer’s allowance has been stopped for four/five months.”

He told the court that the issue has now been resolved, but that it left him without enough money to pay for his basic needs.

“In November I had a suicidal attempt and in a week they sorted it and have now done a back payment,” he said.

When trying to sort out his finances, he was told not to pay the fines by his support worker.

“My support worker said don’t rush anything, she said ‘I will sort the money out.”

Muca, of Garden Street, agreed to pay off the £869.34 fine by paying £60 up front and £20 a month thereafter.

Presiding magistrate Mark Travers said: “It’s incredibly important and vital this money is paid off to avoid you returning to this court and avoiding custody.”