A CHARD man who only had NINE HOURS of his year-long driving ban left was caught at the wheel of a car taking his pregnant girlfriend to the shops.

Aston Tony James Wrightson had bought the car in preparation for when his disqualification expired and was waiting until he got paid to put the insurance in place.

However, on the final day of his ban, he took a chance and drove his heavily pregnant partner to the shops because it was raining, when he was stopped by the police and the vehicle was seized.

Wrightson, 23, of Reed Close, pleaded guilty to driving a VW Golf in Beckington Crescent, Chard, on February 19 while disqualified.

He also admitted using the vehicle without insurance and being in breach of an 18-month conditional discharge imposed for a previous offence of criminal damage when he appeared before Somerset Magistrates at Yeovil.

Emma Lenanton, prosecuting, said that on the day in question police were driving a marked patrol car in Chard at 3pm when they stopped a vehicle being driven by the defendant in Beckington Crescent.

“They spoke to Wrightson and asked if he had a licence or insurance and he said he had neither, adding that the vehicle belonged to his partner,” she said.

“Police checks showed he did not have a licence or insurance and he was then told the car would be seized.

“The officers discovered the defendant was a disqualified driver until midnight on February 19, 2019 after being banned for a previous offence of having no insurance.”

Miss Lenanton said the disqualification was nearly over and would have expired at midnight on that day.

Defending solicitor Louise Eaves said the offence was “very unfortunate” in terms of timing as Wrightson had put in place all the necessary steps to resume driving and had even put in the insurance in place but was waiting until he was paid to action it.

“When he was stopped he had a fair idea the ban might have been still in place but he decided to drive to take his heavily pregnant partner to the shops as it was raining that day,” she said.

Chair of the magistrates Mary Ellis told the defendant it was a “very unfortunate situation” that day adding that he had made a very poor decision to drive and should have considered the other options open to him.

They disqualified him from driving for a further three months and fined him £120 with £85 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.

No action was taken on the breach of conditional discharge.