Pizza delivery leads to ban

And the six points he received for the offence last Wednesday at Craigavon Magistrates Court resulted in a six month ban on the tot up points system.

Panagiotis Theochardis, Oakvale, Craigavon, admitted driving without insurance in Hanover Street, Portadown, on July 15 this year.

The court heard that police saw him coming out of a pizza place with a delivery bag and checks showed that while there was insurance in place it was only for social and domestic purposes and not for business use.

The defendant told the court that it was his first time delivering pizza and didn’t realise he needed business cover until the police told him.

Beside him in court was the proprietor of the business who said Theochardis came in to help to get a bit of extra money but he was not delivering pizzas.

He explained that on this occasion the pizza driver had been out in the Birches and had got a puncture leaving him unavailable for half an hour or 45 minutes.

The proprietor said there were three deliveries with customers waiting and asked the defendant just to go up the town with them. No money exchanged hands because they had paid online.

District Judge, Mrs Bernie Kelly, said the defendant had a bigger problem because he already had six live points on his licence. For no insurance she imposed a £200 fine and six points.