A motorist who drove twice while he was disqualified has been handed a suspended sentence and banned from driving for two years.

Thomas Daniel Richards, aged 21, of Ballabrooie, Sulby, admitted one offence of driving whilst disqualified, as well as taking a vehicle without consent and having no insurance.

He was also found guilty after a trial of a second count of driving whilst disqualified and having no insurance.

Magistrates sentenced Richards to nine months’ custody, suspended for two years, and also made him the subject of a two-year suspended sentence supervision order.

Prosecuting, advocate Barry Swain told the court that on February 7, an off-duty police officer heard a car revving outside his home and saw Richards sitting in a Honda Civic with the engine running.

The car was moving backwards with the door open.

Richards told the off-duty police officer: ’It’s not my car. I was just moving it so my mum could get her car out.’

Other officers arrived to arrest Richards due to him being disqualfied from driving.

Arrested

He was also charged with taking the vehicle without consent as it belonged to his girlfriend, and driving with no insurance.

While on bail for those offences, on May 7, police received a report of Richards driving on Lezayre Road near Churchtown. A witness said that they had to take evasive action due to Richards crossing the centre line in the road.

He was arrested on May 7 and charged with driving while disqualified and having no insurance.

When interviewed he gave ’no comment’ responses but handed in a prepared statement denying that he had been driving saying that the witness must have been mistaken.

He pleaded not guilty to those two offences but was found guilty after a summary court trial.

Advocate Matthew Wilshaw said that, on February 7, Richards had only moved the vehicle a matter of metres to allow his mother to get into a parking space.

Of the May offences, Mr Wilshaw said his client was still denying being the driver and intended the appeal the trial verdict.

The court heard that Richards is also currently on licence after being released early from a custodial sentence.

Mr Wilshaw referred to a doctor’s report which had described Richards as a ’vulnerable individual’ and said a period of custody would be detrimental to his mental health.

Chair of the magistrates Caroline Convery told Richards it had been an ’extremely close call’ when deciding against sending him to prison.

She told him: ’For a young man you have a terrible record of offending with many breaches of court orders on your record.

’You have to consider whether you want to spend the rest of your life going in and out of custody.’

Richards was also ordered to pay £500 prosecution costs which he will pay at a rate of £10 per week, deducted from benefits.