A disqualified driver who was caught by the Police while they were seizing another vehicle pleaded guilty to 2 motoring offences at the Isle of Wight Magistrates Court yesterday (Friday).
Rachael Woods, 30, of Jubilee Close in Freshwater, pleaded guilty to driving without third-party insurance and to driving whilst disqualified when she appeared in front of Magistrates.
Liz Miller, prosecuting, told the court that on 15th July, Woods’ vehicle was noticed as she drove along North Walk in Ryde, heading up into Appley car park. It is here where she was stopped and questioned by officers.
The 30-year-old admitted at the first opportunity that she had driven the car – which was her late mother’s – without any insurance and that she was indeed under a period of disqualification from driving. That original disqualification was issued back in November 2021 when Woods – driving the same car – was arrested and charged with drunk driving. She was disqualified for 17 months.
Defending Woods, Jim Osborne told the court that in April of this year her mother had died and that the car was 1 of the only things left to her by her mother, adding that she was remorseful for what she had done.
The vehicle in question – which Woods was in the process of selling for around £8,000 – was seized by Police and subsequently crushed.
Rachael Woods was handed a 12-month community order with 90 hours of unpaid work, given 6-points on her licence and ordered to pay costs of £85 and a £114 surcharge fee.
Why couldn’t the car have been seized and sold and the money put back into the public purse ? a complete waste of money .
I was thinking that too. Or give it to a charity that could use it while supporting people in the community; home help, district nursing.
Nope – the police have ensured that she cannot buy it back later – it is gone and those in the recycling trade are benefitting, as they should be.
Why would she buy back a car, at it’s current market value, that she was going to sell anyway?
Yes hit them where it hurts, if we seized and sold every car, that was still road worthy, and sold them off they wouldn’t be able to drive unless they purchased another. This would definitely deter drink driving, and drug abuse. Think they would remember the outcome more than a poxy fine and costs.
Agree what a terrible waste I don’t get why a perfectly roadworthy vehicle isnt sold. That money could have gone to a good cause. Maybe a rehab centre for road accident victims
Got to be one of the most pathetic excuses a defence counsel has come up with so far. But she was remorseful so that’s ok then. Not.
Surely shhe will be banned for life now or will the judges give another chance probably because they are much too leniant
Read the story, she isn’t ban for life
Did they realy have to crush it .Let the hospice or any other deserving charity have it donated to them to sell on She would still loose the car, but something good my come out of it
Unlucky bloody crackheads!!
now thats an expensive lesson, the car being crushed, serves her right
They should do this to all uninsured vehicles, people like her only take notice when they get hit hard in the pocket
How stupid can you get.
And I think I saw this person driving again this afternoon.Was probably someone else but it did look like her.
This car did not even have a number plate, silly cow.
Was the car roadworthy? If it was then crushing it is a stupendous waste. By all means deprive the culprit of their car, but destroying a perfectly good vehicle is idiotic. Sell it and give the proceeds to charity, perhaps one of the many road safety charities. Justice will have been served and some good will come of it.
Think she must of opted it to be crushed or not able to pay storage/release/find an insured driver etc.
Whilst I have no issues with the vehicle being crushed (this was trumpeted a good while ago by the Authorities that this would happen to vehicles), but, why this particular vehicle and not the dozens that are driven by various uninsured and disqualified idiots?
A bit of continuity would be a good start!
I think it’s terrible.
im sure her late mum would been very proud!
nice way too respect her property
Something doesn’t add up here…. £8k car and no-one can afford to get insurance cover? No friends/family?
> The vehicle in question – which Woods was in the process of selling for around £8,000 – was seized by Police and subsequently crushed.
We would like to thank the police for not giving in to the radical leftist who would have wanted this repurposed.
What on earth is “radical leftist” about not scrapping a perfectly serviceable vehicle?
As long as the person convicted is denied the use of it, and loses its monetary value, why not sell it on and give the proceeds to a charity such as one that supports victims of crime or road safety?
Waiting for an answer.
What on earth are you talking about. If the people who suggested the car benefitted a worthy charity are radical lefties, they must be pretty sensible lefties. So are you saying that it was actually suggested to the police not to crush this car and donate the vehicle to a charity, i wonder who that radical leftist was, and if true, i wonder why the police didn’t consider this.
Lock her up and throw away the key
The only way to protect the rest of us
Apropos to not much, 8k seems a lot for that little car. Could it be the defence counsel bigging it up for his own purposes? Just askin’…
Never in a million years is that worth 8k. 4k max guessing the age of the car, at least two years old. Looks older. Go look on eBay. Her mum may have paid 8k, does not mean it’s worth that.
Car should have been crush the first time they caught her driving drunk in it.