Sunderland man given his FIFTH driving ban in four years to keep him off the roads until January 2023

A motorist caught behind the wheel just weeks into a two-year ban has been handed his fifth roads' disqualification in four years.
The case was heard at South Tyneside Magistrates' Court.The case was heard at South Tyneside Magistrates' Court.
The case was heard at South Tyneside Magistrates' Court.

Jamie Whitfield, 29, of Toward Road, Hendon, Sunderland, was spotted by police driving his 2004-plate Citroen on Tuesday, January 7, a court heard.

He sped off but they found him soon afterwards in an Asda petrol station on Old Mill Road, Sunderland.

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Whitfield had been handed the 24-month disqualification, under the totting-up procedure, only in December, magistrates in South Tyneside were told.

He was also disqualified for 12 months in 2016 and 2018 under totting rules, and again on July 22 this year for 18 months under the same process.

He has now been given his longest ban of all – 30 months – designed to keep him off the roads until January 2023.

Prosecutor Lesley Burgess said: “Officers see the defendant, and he is driving a vehicle. They follow for a short time.

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“It’s described as speeding up and goes over speed humps. The officers illuminated their lights, but the defendant’s vehicle was lost.

“They receive information that the vehicle is at an Asda filling station.

“Both officers immediately recognise the male as the defendant, who had been driving the vehicle.

“Checks showed the defendant as being disqualified from driving and as having no insurance.”

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Angus Westgarth, defending, said: “He had the vehicle. He did repairs and decided that he would test drive it.

“The manner of driving wasn’t fantastic but not the worst this court will have heard about.

“He’s a 29-year-old man who is not heavily convicted. His last conviction was in 2013, but there are others.

“What he tells me is that there are speeding convictions but that he wasn’t the driver. He didn’t do anything about them.

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“He accepted the disqualification and he’s stuck with it now.”

Whitfield, who expects to soon start work as a window cleaner, was handed a 12-month community order.

It requires him to complete 15 days of rehabilitation work with the Probation Service, undertake the Thinking Skills programme and complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

He must pay a £90 victim surcharge and £85 court costs.

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