BANNED DRIVER FINED FOR VISITING DAD AFTER FAMILY COVID DEATH
30-year-old pulled over during routine check
BANNED driver Thomas Stone was caught behind the wheel just a few months before the end of a three-year roads ban.
The 30-year-old was stopped during a routine police check in Hanley, as he returned from visiting his dad in the wake of his grandmother’s death from Covid-19.
Magistrates heard Stone had been banned from the roads for 36 months in May 2018, after he was convicted of driving offences.
He admitted to police that he was banned when they stopped him in Houghton Street on November 14 last year.
The court heard the death of Stone’s paternal grandmother a short time before the offence had led to concerns about his father’s well-being.
Stuart Flood, mitigating, said: “His father’s mother had passed away suddenly after going into hospital for a routine operation. She caught Covid and passed away.
“After the funeral had taken place, Mr Stone received a phone call from his father, who was in a bad way. Mr Stone was concerned about his father’s welfare. He drove 15 minutes to his father’s address, spent some time with him, then was on his way home when he was stopped.
“This was towards the end of a lengthy disqualification period.”
Mr Flood added that Stone had a well-paid job laying Tarmac on roads around the county, and had struggled with anxiety and depression during lockdown.
Magistrates fined Stone £1,000 and also ordered him to pay £135 in court costs and charges. He was also handed six penalty points.