A Bournemouth man has received a conditional discharge of six months for driving without insurance, after already having six points on his licence.
After being stopped by police, Allan Jon Cox, 55, was asked to present an insurance certificate. But when produced, the policy was found to have began after the date of the police stop.
Cox could have lost his driving licence on the charge, but received conditional discharge after putting forward a case that this would cause him exceptional hardship.
Bournemouth magistrate’s court heard that if Cox lost his licence he would lose his job as the sole driver of a 32-ton lorry at a waste management company.
Cox, who was formerly a driver in the army, explained that there were no other positions available for him at the company, and that driving was all he knew.
When asked by the defence about alternative employment, Cox said: “I don’t think I could get another job, employers are looking for younger people with less experience so they can pay them less.”
Cox also explained that he recently married a Chinese woman, and the process of immigration and visas had cost him a considerable amount of money. When asked if his wife could get a job to keep them afloat, Cox said that she could not speak very good English and that “her employment prospects would be very limited”.
On conclusion of the case, District Judge House said the he understood “people have difficulty getting a job with regards to age, and that is why you are keeping your licence today”.
