Disqualified driver found driving car gets a further ban

An engineer who was already banned from driving has been disqualified again after he was found behind the wheel of a car.

Mark Astill, 45, was spotted by police driving the vehicle at an Aberdeen industrial estate on April 15 this year.

He was also found to have no insurance for the car.

Astill’s solicitor told the court that the mechanical engineer had sold the vehicle but had asked for it to be returned.

She claimed the car had been “dumped” on double yellow lines so Astill decided to move it – just as police arrived.

Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard Astill’s driving ban was set to end on March 10 2023.

He pled guilty to one charge of driving a car while disqualified and a second charge of driving without insurance.

Fiscal depute Kirsty Martin told the court that Astill was seen by police on mobile patrol at around 3.45am on Greenbank Road, Aberdeen.

She said: “The vehicle was signalled to stop and the accused was found to be the driver.

“A check on the driving licence system confirmed that the accused was disqualified from obtaining or holding a driver’s licence.

“A further check on the police computer revealed that the accused was also not insured to drive the vehicle and he was unable to provide a certificate of insurance.

“He was thereafter cautioned, arrested and charged.”

Defence solicitor Nadine Dormer told the court that Astill’s position was that he had only driven the vehicle a matter of metres within the industrial estate.

She said: “He clearly understands that is not acceptable, especially given that he was only six months into his recent ban.

“He accepts his guilt and the folly of this matter.”

Ms Dormer said that Astill had sold the vehicle he was driving in February of this year to a co-worker, but that the buyer had failed to pay all of the instalments.

“The two men had words and Mr Astill told him to drop the car off outside his work,” Ms Dormer said.

“While walking home following a nightshift he sees the car parked on double yellow lines and that it has effectively just been dumped.

“His position is that he simply wanted to get it off the double yellow lines as he was concerned the car could become impounded.

“Clearly he should not have done that.”

Sheriff Margaret Hodge told Astill that “a disqualification has got to mean something”.

She banned Astill, of Jesmond Square North, Aberdeen, from driving for a further six months and fined him £740.

BAN: Mark Astill got behind wheel of a car despite already being banned from driving.