Guilty: The drunken tycoon who fled the scene of a car crash dressed as a blacked-up Roman gladiator

For a start he was dressed as a Roman gladiator and was wearing black bodypaint.

The fact that his hair was also badly singed also helped to identify him as a man who had just escaped a burning car.

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And just for good measure, the friend who was with him was wearing a Superman outfit.

Bianchi, 38, was tracked to a hospital in Macclesfield after the crash, which followed a fancy-dress party.

Officers said that with his frazzled appearance he reminded them of Wile E Coyote, the character from the Looney Tunes cartoon who is always coming to grief while trying to catch Road Runner.

Bianchi, from Bollington, Cheshire, was warned that he faced a jail sentence after being found guilty of drink-driving, failing to stop at the scene of an accident, failing to report an accident and careless driving.

Macclesfield magistrates heard that the father of two, a member of the Arighi Bianchi family of furniture retailers, had dressed in red tunic, skirt, breastplate armour and sandals to attend his goddaughter's 21st birthday party in Alderley Edge.

After the event last September he drove off in his £30,000 Mercedes CLK cabriolet and crashed it into a tree on the A538 in Prestbury at around 5.30am.

He was trapped inside and the car caught fire but taxi driver Kierston Smith, 34, stopped to help.

With other motorists he managed to drag Bianchi to safety moments before the vehicle was engulfed in flames. Bianchi was put into the back of a minibus and driven away while Mr Smith rang police.

After a tip-off, officers found Bianchi waiting for treatment at Macclesfield Hospital. He was drunk, had a cut to his head and singed hair.

PC Gary Turner said: "He was dressed as a full Roman gladiator with a breastplate, body armour and skirt.

"His face and arms and legs were black through make-up. His hair seemed to be singed. He reminded me of Wile E Coyote, the cartoon character.

"He had cuts to the left side of his head and it was bleeding. He appeared to be drunk. He was able to speak but his speech was slurred."

Asked if anyone was with Bianchi at the hospital, PC Turner said: "Superman. Superman was in the waiting room."

Bianchi was breathalysed and a blood sample was taken. He was found to be around one-and-half times the drink-drive limit.

He denied the charges and told the court: "I remember having a few drinks. I remember having a good time. But I don't remember anything between the party and leaving the hospital."

Bianchi was remanded for sentence until April 16, when he could face a maximum of six months behind bars and be fined up to £5,000.