A doctor has been fined £600 for careless driving and having no Manx driving licence.

Henry Mutasa admitted both offences and also had his licence endorsed with six penalty points.

The 62-year-old had previously been charged with dangerous driving which he had denied.

However, that charge was dismissed and the lesser charge of careless driving offered, to which he pleaded guilty.

Prosecuting advocate Hazel Carroon told the court that a member of the public attended Ramsey police station on October 20 with dashcam footage to report the offence after he had been driving behind Mutasa.

The footage covered a journey along the Mountain Road, between Kate’s Cottage and May Hill.

It showed Mutasa’s Dacia Sandero crossing the centre lines on multiple occasions and on one occasion, entering the opposite carriageway then veering back to avoid an oncoming vehicle.

Mutasa, who lives at Grove Mount West in Ramsey, attended a voluntary police interview and said that he had been driving from Noble’s Hospital after teaching there.

He said that he was surprised to be contacted by the police as he didn’t think he had been driving recklessly.

He said he always travelled on the Mountain Road and had never had an issue.

When shown the dashcam footage, Mutasa acknowledged he had crossed the centre lines and said that he tended to stick to the centre as he felt safer.

He was also found to only hold a UK licence and said that he was aware he should have changed it, but said that he still went to the UK once a fortnight.

Defence advocate Jane Gray said that her client had no previous convictions and had held a clean licence for more than 20 years.

‘Mr Mutasa would say he was always able to see the road ahead. This wasn’t done on blind bends,’ said the advocate.

‘There was one vehicle oncoming but there was sufficient time to come back in.

‘No vehicles flashed their lights or beeped their horns or seemed to have an issue with his driving.

‘The manoeuvres were not ones which would have caused danger to other road users.’

Ms Gray said that her client was a medical doctor who taught staff at Noble’s and had been living on the island for four years.

The court heard that Mutasa had since changed his licence to a Manx one.

High Bailiff Jayne Hughes also ordered him to pay £50 prosecution costs which he will pay, along with the fine, by July 1.