Sunderland man jailed for driving to dad's funeral

Allan Briton, 56, jumped into his daughter’s car in a bid to get to the service on time, deliberately ignoring a safe public transport option.

But Briton, of Athol Road, Hendon, was stopped by police as he drove in Forest Road, Ford Estate, on Tuesday, October 22, a court heard.

Though pulled over due to no insurance being flagged up on the motor, he immediately confessed to being a disqualified driver.

Not even immediate guilty pleas to charges of driving while banned and no insurance could spare him a spell behind bars.

Jailing him, District Judge Zoe Passfield told him: “You made a deliberate decision to drive while you were subject to a court order disqualifying you.

“It’s the third time you have done this. This offence is aggravated by your record. The only appropriate sentence is immediate custody.”

Prosecutor Gurjot Kaur said officers were on mobile patrol when Briton drove past, triggering number plate recognition.

She told South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court: “It showed as having no insurance. He was very forthcoming. He said, ‘I’m a disqualified driver’.”

Ms Kaur said Briton had two previous convictions from driving while disqualified and without insurance.

The first, in 2015, saw him handed a suspended prison sentence, and his most recent was imposed in December 2023, for 12 months.

Annalisa Moscardini, defending, told Judge Passfield: “He says that it’s not his car, it’s his daughter’s.

“It was the day of his dad’s funeral, and he didn’t want to take public transport, he wanted to get there as quickly as possible.

“It’s not an excuse but it is relevant. He was right towards the end of his ban.

“There’s nothing that aggravates this, but I appreciate there is his previous.

“I think there are ways that you can deal with this that aren’t immediate custody, or which interferes with the progress he’s trying to make.”

Judge Passfield also banned jobless security industry worker Briton from driving for 12 months and four weeks.

She imposed no separate penalty for the no insurance charge but ordered him to pay a £154 victim surcharge.