A 50-year-old man has been ordered to do 200 hours’ community service.

Daniel Smith admitted driving while he was disqualified and being uninsured, saying that he had driven to get a gift for his wife.

 Smith was banned from driving for five years in 2012, with an order to take an extended test at the end of the ban, but had not done so.

For the latest offences, Deputy High Bailiff Rachael Braidwood also banned him from driving for a further 12 months, with an order to take an extended test at the end of the ban still in place.

We previously reported that, on July 11, Smith was driving a Citroen Dispatch on Central Promenade in Douglas.

A member of the public flagged down police and told them that Smith was driving whilst he was banned.

Officers located the car parked opposite the old site of Paramount City.

When quizzed, Smith, who lives at Coronation Terrace in Braddan, admitted he didn’t have a valid licence.

A probation report assessed the defendant as a low risk of harm to others and a low to medium risk of reoffending.

Defence advocate Paul Rodgers said that the offence had been a ‘one-off error of judgement’ and that his client seemed to have a pattern of offending once every decade or so.

Mr Rodgers said that it had been an isolated period of driving and that there had been no aggravating factors.

‘Community service would be a positive sentence for him,’ said the advocate.

‘He was getting a gift for his wife, driving was a one-off error of judgement.’

Deputy High Bailiff Ms Braidwood said that it was concerning that Smith had gotten behind the wheel after ten years without driving, and driven into a busy area, along the promenade.

She sentenced him to 160 hours' community service for the disqualified driving offence and 40 hours for the insurance offence.

He must also pay £50 prosecution costs by December 8.