Possible Driving Ban For Driver Spotted Using Mobile Phone and Wearing No Seat Belt

A MOTORIST who dropped the mobile phone he was using, and hurriedly tried to put his seat belt on when spotted by police, could be facing a driving ban. Simon Clarke was convicted of four driving offences by Ely magistrates, and now has to attend the cour

A MOTORIST who dropped the mobile phone he was using, and hurriedly tried to put his seat belt on when spotted by police, could be facing a driving ban.

Simon Clarke was convicted of four driving offences by Ely magistrates, and now has to attend the court to hear if he will be taken off the road.

Police saw 35-year-old Clarke driving while using a mobile phone and without using a seat belt on November 27 last year - and inquiries showed he had no licence or MoT certificate for the vehicle.

Clarke already has six points endorsed on his driving licence - and this latest batch of offences could land him with another six points, and the prospect of a six-month ban under the "totting up" procedure that comes into play when a motorist collects 12 or more points.

Prosecutor Penny Cannon told how police on patrol saw Clarke driving a Peugeot 306 on the A10 at Ely on November 27, speaking into a mobile phone.

"He put the phone down and tried to put his seat belt on," she said. "He said he had no excuses."

Inquiries showed the car's MoT certificate had expired three weeks earlier, and Clarke's driving licence had also expired.

Magistrates adjourned Clarke's case for him to attend the court on April 15.