A Peel taxi driver has been fined £500 for careless driving after going through red light.

Ian Donald Gilmour, of Strand Street, did not appear in court but sent a postal admission to the offence.

His licence was also endorsed with six penalty points.

Prosecutor Barry Swain told the court that a witness was driving behind 56-year-old Gilmour on April 13 at 8.55pm travelling from Peel to Douglas.

Gilmour’s Vauxhall was displaying a taxi plate and the witness said that they were concerned about the manner of his driving.

The witness said that the Vauxhall was veering towards the centre of the road and crossing the middle lines.

At Glen Vine, where there are temporary traffic lights at the junction of the main road and Glen Darragh Road, the witness said Gilmour slowed down but indicated right and turned onto Glen Darragh Road without stopping despite the lights being on red.

The matter was reported to police but when interviewed Gilmour said it could not have been him because he was in Douglas all night.

However, dash cam footage recorded by the witness was shown to him and he then changed his story and said: ’It was me, I did it but I had a look around, the road was clear.

Red light

’There was nothing coming so I sneaked through the red light.’

Gilmour sent written mitigation to the court saying that he was not carrying any passengers at the time.

And he claimed that the traffic lights were often faulty and stuck.

He said that when he admitted the offence he believed it would be dealt with by way of a caution, fixed penalty or verbal warning.

Magistrates also ordered that he pay £50 prosecution costs.