Door knock cuts short New Year’s Eve plans

A 47-YEAR-OLD Derbyshire man had a New Year’s Eve he is unlikely to forget when police knocked on his caravan door and dragged him to court.

Owen Roberts should have been in court to face a charge of driving while disqualified back in July. Prosecutor Lynn Bickley said he failed to show and was found guilty in his absence.

Miss Bickley said on that day, an arrest warrant was granted but that it is only now police have located the defendant to where he is living on a traveller site in Hilton they were able to execute it.

Handing Roberts an 18-week jail sentence, suspended for two years, magistrates told him: “This suspended sentence will be hanging over you and if you breach it we can’t see a bench in the country not activating it.”

Miss Bickley told Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court police saw a car containing four people being driven by Roberts in Wordsworth Avenue, Sinfin, at 6.15pm on May 6.

Miss Bickley said the licence he handed over to the officer “appeared to be someone older”. He admitted he had no insurance.

She said: “He goes on to say he does not have a licence either, admitting he is disqualified until he passes his test. He was then supposed to come to this court on July 21 but failed to do so and was found guilty in his absence. Therefore a warrant was executed.”

David Gittins, for Roberts, said the reason his client had failed to turn up in July was that the letter informing him of the court date had been sent to “the wrong address”.

He said the defendant now lives on the traveller site in Sutton Road, where police arrived and arrested him on the morning of New Year’s Eve.

Mr Gittins said: “The first he knew about this was...when there was a knock at his caravan door. The New Year’s Eve he planned is now somewhat different.

“He struggled for several years with illegal substance abuse but he is now very proud to say he has been free from them for six weeks.

“He lives on a traveller site, although he is not a traveller and they have given him an opportunity of working for them doing groundwork.”

As well as the suspended prison sentence, magistrates fined Roberts £120 and ordered him to pay £85 prosecution costs and a £34 victim surcharge. He will remain disqualified from driving until he passes his test and when he does, he will start with six penalty points already endorsed on it.