Magistrates told a Pembroke Dock man this week that he could have faced going to jail after he admitted driving his vehicle whilst disqualified.
Twenty-one-year-old Matthew Roderick Frank, of Bush Street, appeared at Haverfordwest Magistrates Court on Tuesday, to plead guilty to a charge of driving a Mitsubishi Lancer whilst disqualified; and using a motor vehicle without third party insurance.
Prosecutor Vaughan Pritchard-Jones told the court that Mr. Frank had been disqualified from driving for 12 months from July of last year, but he was seen on the A487 Haverfordwest to Fishguard road on March 30 by police officers who suspected that he was banned and carried out a check on the vehicle.
“When he was arrested he said he’d borrowed the vehicle to drop his son off as he wanted a night’s rest with the mrs.
“The aggravating feature is the length he has driven, from Pembroke Dock to Fishguard, and as he was intending to stay the night, one would presume that he would drive back the next morning, so it was a planned action,” continued Mr. Pritchard-Jones.
Defence solicitor Mark Layton told the court that his clienet was ‘remorseful’.
Probation officer Julie Norman explained to magistrates that Mr. Frank had been fully aware that he was disqualified, and had been hoping to get his licence back in July.
“He had been working as a self-employed carpet fitter since leaving school but lost that employment as a result of his disqualification,” she said.
On sentencing, magistrates told Mr. Frank that he could have been looking at custody, before handing him a high level community order, with 200 hours of unpaid work to be carried out.
He was given a further nine months disqualification, and had his licence endorsed with six penalty points for the no insurance offence.
Mr. Frank was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £85 and an £85 victim surcharge.