Driver Gets 1 Year Ban After Lying For Insurance
A driver has been slapped with a year-long driving ban after he decided to lie about his past drink-driving convictions in order to secure insurance for his car last year.
Mr Jackson neglected to tell his insurer (Zenith) that he had a drink-driving offence and two counts of driving while disqualified when he bought insurance for his Vauxhall Astra last December. Mr Jackson was caught when he was pulled over by police when he driving through South Shields in February.
Mr Jackson's Astra had also been modified to improve performance which would also increase the cost of the insurance, another fact that Zenith were unaware of. The driving offences and vehicle modifications meant that the insurance was invalid, meaning that the police could charge him for driving without insurance.
He confessed to charges of driving without insurance and keeping information in order to obtain his car insurance. Mr Jackson has lodged an appeal against the court's decision to ban him from driving for 12 months.
The prosecutor Derek Walden said: "Police had cause to examine his car after stopping him in River Drive, South Shields. They found a number of modifications to increase the performance of the vehicle. A police check found he had a drink driving conviction from 2011 and driving while disqualified convictions in 2012 and 2013. By not disclosing this information, his insurance was effectively void upon inception."
Mr Jackson's solicitor said: "He accepts that he didn't declare the information as the cost would have been exorbitant. He knows he should have disclosed his previous convictions." Mr Jackson has also been fined £110 along with £85 costs and a £20 victim surcharge.
James Savery, 07 May 2015