Off the road, worst driver in Britain who flouted ban 61 times

BRITAIN’s most banned motorist has been jailed – after being caught driving while disqualified for the 61st time.

John Pearson, pictured, has already been sent to prison for the crime three times this year alone.

The 52-year-old also has ten drinkdriving offences to his name. His latest conviction happened after police stopped Pearson’s car last month and he failed a breath test. Magistrates jailed him for four months – with a further five years added to his existing driving ban.

However, Pearson is expected to serve just half of the sentence, meaning he could be free before Christmas.

Leading road safety campaigners are now calling for tougher punishments such as a lifetime driving ban for those who repeatedly flout the law.

Zari’aat Masood, of road safety charity Brake, said it was one of the most shocking cases she had heard of.

‘It is ridiculous that this repeat offender will be allowed back on to our roads,’ she said. ‘Extreme cases such as his deserve severe punishment and he ought to be banned for life.’

Pearson’s latest offence took place on September 14 when police forced his Renault Laguna to stop in Stockport, Greater Manchester.

He then failed a breath test. The repeat offender admitted drink-driving, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance when he appeared before Stockport magistrates. He was jailed for four months – of which he is likely to serve a maximum of half.

The court heard that his latest jail sentence would be the fourth since February – when he was sent to prison for 17 weeks and given a five-year ban by the same court.

Pearson was also jailed for 12 weeks and given a 42-month ban after being found slumped asleep at the wheel of a Skoda Fabia on June 4 with music blaring out of the stereo and a can of beer beside him.

And on June 13 Pearson was given a further 16-week jail sentence and a fiveyear ban for disqualified driving, driving without insurance and failing to provide a breath specimen after being stopped in a Toyota Yaris near his home in Heaton Norris. He was unsteady on his feet and slurred his words.

Stockport councillor Sheila Bailey said: ‘He’s not fit to be on the road.’

The maximum sentence for driving while disqualified and drink driving is six months in jail.

Courts can impose a lifetime driving ban in the most serious cases but only four were handed out in 2014.