A 37-year-old man from Ramsey has pleaded guilty to an offence of driving while disqualified.

Paolo Nuvoletta, of Brookhill Road, will be sentenced on February 20 after the preparation of a probation report.

A second charge of having a child under 14 in the rear of a car without a seat belt which he had pleaded not guilty to, was withdrawn by the prosecution.

The court heard how Nuvoletta was disqualified from driving for failing to provide a breath sample in December 2009 for two years with an order to retake his test at the end of the ban.

On October 25 last year a witness called ’999’ with concerns over a child in a Mercedes seen being driven at Queen’s Pier Road in Ramsey.

Police checks revealed that the owner of the vehicle had no valid licence and it was located at the rear of Nuvoletta’s home.

He was spoken to by officers and admitted he had been driving the car.

When arrested he told police: ’I’ve been driving for two years.

’I’ve got an Italian licence. I’ve spoken to people in Douglas, they know, it’s getting changed to an Isle of Man licence.’

During a police interview he said that he was not aware he was still disqualified and thought the ban had ended.

He again said that he had a full Italian licence and believed that to be legal on the island.

Bail was granted in the sum of £500 with conditions that Nuvoletta reside at his home address and not leave the island without permission from the court.