An offender has been fined £200 for driving an untaxed van.

Dominic James Dawson admitted the offence and was also ordered by magistrates to pay £50 prosecution costs.

Prosecuting advocate Rachael Braidwood told the court that police went to Willaston Crescent, Douglas, where the 38-year-old lives, on April 4 after receiving a report of an unlicensed vehicle being parked there.

When officers arrived, they found Dawson’s Ford Transit parked. Its tax expired on January 31.

Dawson told police he had recently bought the van.

The court heard that Dawson has a similar conviction in June 2021.

Defence advocate Louise Cooil said that her client had bought the vehicle 10 days before and had taken it to a garage because it had a number of defects.

Dawson said he had then brought it back to his home and parked it there the day before police arrived.

He said that he had asked the officers to give him until the following morning to tax it but they had declined to do so and it was subsequently seized.

Dawson said he had since paid the tax and a £150 recovery fee to get the van back.

Magistrates ordered him to pay the fine and costs by October 20.