Banned, speeding driver who had 53 penalty points

A COMPANY boss who had racked up 53 points on his driving licence has been banned from the roads for two years.

Paul Harper was spotted by police on the M74 near Abington, Lanarkshire, driving at 98mph while travelling south, a court heard.

They pulled him over and arrested him in September after checks showed he was already disqualified from driving.

Harper, 55, told officers his colleague had been driving the Volkswagen Eos but felt tired, so he had taken over and had intended to stop at the next motorway service station.

The logistics firm chief appeared at Lanark Sheriff Court on Thursday where he admitted driving while banned, speeding and having no insurance. Sheriff Robert Weir was left stunned when the court was told Harper had racked up 53 points on his driver’s licence. He heard Harper had registered company vehicles to his address in Chard, Somerset, which meant fixed penalty points being received by his drivers were being put on his licence as he was the registered keeper.

Drivers are usually disqualified for a minimum of six months if they accrue 12 points within a three-year period but courts can use discretion when it comes to individual cases.

Kathleen McNulty, defending, said Harper, who had been remanded in custody since being caught, acknowledged he should not have been driving.

She added: ‘Mr Harper drove for a short distance by taking over from his colleague who was tired. He was speeding to the next service station so he could stop. He was weeks away from having his licence returned.’

Sheriff Weir spared a sobbing Harper jail but ordered him to complete a 200-hour community payback order.

He said: ‘This was an act of stupidity and that has been brought home to you. You’ve been in custody since September and that means I can deal with matters in a different way.’