Magistrates told banned Tattershall driver had a 'shocking driving record'

James Parker, 34, of Curzon Estate, admitted driving while disqualified and without insurance when he appeared at Boston Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

Prosecuting, Shelley Wilson said police saw him carry out a U-turn in the Vauxhall Astra van at 3.40pm on October 6 on the B1191 in Thornton.

She said he was stopped and enquiries showed he had been banned from driving for dangerous driving and aggravated vehicle taking until he took an extended test and had not taken the test so was still disqualified.

Ms Wilson said Parker also had a conviction for driving while disqualified in February 2021.

Mitigating, Gordon Holt said Parker had been banned from driving for 18 months in 2017 and ordered to take an extended test before he could drive again and had not taken it.

He said the van belonged to Parker's partner and she had driven them to friends, but on the return journey she had become unwell from a congenital illness she suffered from and he had been moving the van off the main road until she had felt better.

He added that because of that illness, Parker was his partner's carer and received a carer's allowance.

The magistrates told Parker had a 'shocking driving record' and said that whilst they understood the reasons why he had driven on that day, there were no circumstances in which he should drive.

He was banned from driving for another six months and fined £200 and ordered to pay £165 in court costs.