Banned driver caught behind the wheel again after being spotted going the wrong way down a one-way road

An East Durham man was handed a suspended sentence for driving whilst disqualified in Sunderland.
Gary Lee Elliott, 26, of West Crescent, Easington, admitted driving while disqualified when he appeared before South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court.Gary Lee Elliott, 26, of West Crescent, Easington, admitted driving while disqualified when he appeared before South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court.
Gary Lee Elliott, 26, of West Crescent, Easington, admitted driving while disqualified when he appeared before South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court.

Gary Lee Elliott, 26, of West Crescent, Easington, admitted the charge when he appeared before South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court.

The dad-of-three also pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention and driving without insurance.

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The court heard this was the second conviction for driving whilst disqualified.

Glenda Beck, prosecuting, said the defendant was in a Volkswagen Jetta which he had recently bought in the Holmeside/Vine Place area of Sunderland in the early hours of the morning on August 26.

She said: “The defendant drove the wrong way down a one-way street.”

When police questioned the defendant he said he hadn’t realised it was a one-way street.

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Richard Copsey, defending, said: “The disqualification he received in March was nearly finished and he bought a car with the intention of doing it up.

“It was a stupid thing. Some friends from the Easington area asked him to take them out.

“He got a bit lost and went down a bus lane. He pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.”

The court heard Elliott lives with his partner and is the full-time carer for their three children.

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A spokesman for the probation service said Elliott suffers from anxiety and depression.

Elliott was given a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and banned from driving for 13 months. He was also ordered to pay £85 costs and a £122 victim surcharge.