Driver caught at the wheel second time while banned
A Sunderland driver caught at the wheel a second time while banned has been warned he will be jailed if he reoffends.
Magistrates handed Jordan Reed, 22, of Smith Street, Ryhope, a 16-week suspended jail term – and told him he was in last chance saloon.
Reed tried to hide his face from police who spotted him driving a Ford Focus on the A690 Durham Road at 12.25am on Friday, January 28.
Prosecutor Emma O’Hegarty said he pulled over when officers lit him up, and he jumped out to admit he was disqualified.
He was caught drink-driving
in December 2020, for which he was banned for 20 months the following month, South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court heard.
But he was caught motoring last July – and handed a further 16-month disqualification and a 12-month community order.
Mrs O’Hegarty said: “Police were on mobile patrol on the A690 and driving towards Sunderland city centre. A grey Ford Focus drove past with three males inside and they tried to hide their faces.
“It turned left into Tudor Grove, and it came to a stop. The defendant stepped out and informed police that he was disqualified.
“He was driving shortly after his disqualification.”
Reed pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.
Greg Flaxen, defending, said: “It’s a guilty plea at the earliest opportunity, but he does not accept all the officer’s descriptions. They didn’t cover their faces and the police didn’t light them up.
“When he got out of the car, he told the officer, ‘I’m disqualified, I shouldn’t be driving’. He’d been out with friends to a house party, he was sober, he hadn’t drunk or taken drugs. His friends said could he drive them home, he stupidly agreed.”
Magistrates revoked Reed’s community order and replaced it with an eight-week jail term. They imposed the same sentence for his latest driving while banned offence, to run consecutively and suspended for a year.
It means he faces 16 weeks behind bars if brought back to court for another offence.
Reed was also ordered to undertake 15 days of rehabilitation work with the Probation Service and to do 137 hours of unpaid work.
He must pay a £128 victim surcharge and £85 court costs.