Petrol errand was an error

4:50pm Saturday 2nd August 2008

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A DROITWICH man has been banned from driving for six months after he drove his daughter’s car to the petrol station without insurance.

John Cornelissen said he did not realise he wasn't insured on the Vauxhall Astra anymore because he had previously been a named driver on it.

The 56-year-old of Saleway admitted driving without insurance when he appeared before Worcester’s magistrates.

Julie Rosamond, prosecuting, said officers spotted Cornelissen getting into the car at Tesco, Woodgreen Drive, Worcester, about 9pm on Sunday, February 17.

A computer check showed the car was registered in the name of two females and he was taken in for questionning.

It was then found Cornelissen already had nine points on his licence for three separate speeding matters.

In mitigation Judith Kenney said her client was a man who drove a lot of different cars as required by his job as a commissioning agent for a company that makes machinery producing molten metal to companies all over Europe.

She said the Astra used to be his main car before he passed it onto his wife and then daughter.

“This is an error, a mistake,” she said. “He had no reason to disbelieve he wasn’t covered by insurance but he has fallen between two stools.”

A plea to the magistrates to waver disqualifying Cornelissen from driving based on exceptional hardship was rejected on the basis the defendant would not lose his job and had enough savings to cope with a reduced income over a short period of time.

Cornelissen had six penalty points added to his licence taking him over the 12-point limit. He was also fined £200 and made to pay £60 court costs and £15 victim surcharge.