A banned driver caught using his mobile phone behind the wheel has narrowly avoided prison.
Robert Thompson, 29, was spotted by Cleveland Police using his mobile while driving his Citroen in Hartlepool. Prosecutor Daniel Hill told Teesside Magistrates’ Court Roberts was on Seaton Lane when he was pulled over by cops.
He said: “It was approximately 8am on Wednesday, October 2, last year, when officers were on-duty in Hartlepool. They observed a Citroen motor vehicle and noted that the driver was on his mobile phone.
“They followed the vehicle illuminating their blue lights forcing the vehicle to stop. They spoke to the driver and checks were conducted which showed Mr Thompson was a disqualified driver.”
The defendant of Haswell Avenue, in the Foggy Furze area of Hartlepool, also didn’t have insurance. At an earlier hearing, he pleaded guilty to the following offences:
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Driving whilst disqualified
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Using a handheld mobile phone/device while driving a motor vehicle on a road
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Using motor vehicle without third party insurance
In mitigation, the court heard the 29-year-old, who currently has a job working for an agency, admitted the offences. However, District Judge Marie Mallon described the offending as “extremely serious”.
She said: “You didn’t think you ought to have been disqualified from driving when you were so you decided to ignore that. Breach of a court order is an extremely serious matter. You continued to drive, you put yourself and other road users at risk. You now know you must not drive while disqualified if you do so in the period of this sentence you’ll go to prison.”
The defendant was handed a 12-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months. He must complete 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days. He was banned from driving for 12 months and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £154.
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