Danger Mouse animator Adrian Bell has been handed a driving ban after he forged the tax disc on his car and drove while uninsured.

Bell, who is also the creative director behind The Dome at the Nunnery, was displaying the fake disc on his car when he was stopped by police and told police the car was taxed.

Prosecutor Richard Butters told the court how Bell was stopped by police on January 3 at 11.55pm on Douglas Road, Castletown.

Records showed his vehicle licence had expired in May 2014 but when quizzed by police he was adamant he had a valid licence and he had paid the duty. Police checked the licence he was displaying and it was said to be low quality and looked counterfeit.

Bell, aged 55, of Old Castletown Road, Douglas, was challenged about it but continued to deny any wrongdoing.

When pressed further he admitted the licence was fake and that he had made it.

He said he thought he had last paid for a licence in 2016 but had wanted to save money.

Bell was given five days to produce his insurance but when he did, it was found to have been taken out the day after he was stopped.

Advocate Paul Rodgers said: ’Mr Bell is a professional man. He has driven for decades without incident and is extremely embarrassed.

’He has a background in graphics and that made it easier to do what he did.

’He was in financial difficulty at the time.

’He thought he did have insurance but when he went to look for it, it turned out that it had run out.’

Mr Rodgers dsecribed Bell as ’a very credit-worthy member of society’, adding: ’He hopes to bring people to the island and is working with the government to that end.’

Bell, who admitted the charges, was fined £1,150 and banned from driving for eight weeks.

Magistrates told Bell: ’You have intentionally forged a vehicle licence and when police questioned you, you tried to bluff it.’

Bell was also ordered to pay £50 prosecution costs.