A Ryde man caught driving without insurance and with cannabis in his system has been banned from the roads for 12 months and fined £120.
Johnathan Spencer, 55, of St Thomas Street in Ryde, admitted drug driving and driving without insurance when he appeared at the Isle of Wight Magistrates Court earlier this week (15th April).
Prosecuting, Giles Fletcher, told the court that on the 5th December at around 11:30 in the morning on Ryde’s West Street, Police checks on Spencer’s Fiat Doblo van revealed he was driving without 3rd party insurance.
When he was pulled over, Spencer admitted to having no insurance and also admitted that he had recently smoked cannabis. A roadside drugs wipe confirmed this and the 55-year-old was arrested and taken to Newport Police Station.
The tests conducted both at the roadside and at the Police station returned a lowest reading of 3.5ug/l – more than the prescribed limit of 2.0ug/l.
Defending Spencer, Oscar Vincent, told the court that his client had plead guilty at the first opportunity and that the reading in question was a ‘low reading’.
Spencer was brought up to the courtroom from the cells after he didn’t attend a previous hearing on the 8th April. Vincent added that Spencer said he didn’t receive a notice or summons telling him to come to court.
After brief deliberations, Magistrates handed Spencer a 12-month driving ban and endorsed his licence for the offence of driving without insurance. Spencer was also ordered to pay a £120 fine, £85 costs and a £48 surcharge fee.
OMW,what a laugh, banning someone who is not leally allowed to drive.
That will work, how long was he driving, illegally before getting caught, and how long before he’s driving, illegally again?
Do these people need to kill someone before a meaningful punishment is meted out?
Bans don’t seem to mean anything thesedays
they just get into a vehicle and re-offend!
Personally I believe all law breakers should be
conscripted into the armed services, it might
teach them right from wrong.
These minimal fines achieve nothing.
Blame the law makers and then the totally weak people dishing it out. These bastards know the law, so take their cars away from them and crush them and if need be, the driver as well.