Drove while banned to visit elderly mum

A man previously told by a judge to 'bring your tooth brush' when he returned to court as he was facing jail has now indeed been given custody.
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Robert David Alan Wortley (53) of the Simon Community hostel in Henry Street, Ballymena, was sentenced on Thursday after previously pleading guilty to charges of driving whilst disqualified; obstructing police and using a vehicle without insurance on December 15 last year.

A prosecutor said police stopped Wortley at a filling station in Harryville and Wortley’s father said he had given his son permission to use the vehicle.

Wortley had originally given incorrect details to the police but he later made full admissions and apologised.

Defence barrister Stephen Law said it was Wortley’s father’s car and he had use of it to visit his elderly mother who is suffering from dementia in Portadown as the defendant had no money to get public transport.

Mr Law said Wortley had been in Ballymena since last September and was living a “solitary, lone, existence”.

Mr Law said his client had been told on the last occasion to “bring his tooth brush”.

District Judge Peter King said Wortley had been given a suspended jail term last October and just a few months later he was detected driving whilst disqualified - his third such offence.

He jailed Wortley for five months but bail of £250 was fixed for appeal. He also banned him from driving for four years “to protect the road users of this district”.

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