Banned Leeds driver claimed to be his brother when police pulled over Ford Transit
A banned driver gave his brother’s name when he was pulled over for having a missing registration plate on his Ford Transit.
Jack Wilson was disqualified twice for driving while over the drug-drive limit, and was still legally unable to get behind the wheel when officers stopped his van in Leeds on the evening of February 15, 2022.
The rear reg plate was not attached to the van. He gave his brother’s name, his mother’s address, and when he was quizzed about the insurance, he said it was under a trader’s policy. The conversation with the police was captured on body-worn camera.
Wilson’s brother later received paperwork about the police stop, and he provided a written response denying the offence, along with a picture of himself, prosecutor Matthew Moore-Taylor told Leeds Crown Court.
The brother also expressed his concern that somebody had tried to use his details. Wilson was not arrested until November 2023, and gave a no-comment interview. It became obvious from the footage that Wilson had lied about his identity and his image did not match up with his brother’s.
The 30-year-old later admitted intending to pervert the course of justice. He has four previous convictions, including the two drug-driving offences for which he received an 18-month driving ban in 2021, and a further three-year ban in 2022.
Wilson, of West Grange Green, Belle Isle, was also given an nine-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, for possessing criminal property.
A probation report into Wilson found that he had “just panicked” and “just wanted to get out of the situation and get home”. It was heard that he is unemployed and lives with his partner, their child, and his three step children.
Mitigating, Mollie Briggs said Wilson was “not persistent” in the attempted cover up and said: “He is remorseful, he knows he made a stupid mistake.”
She said he handed himself in at the police station as soon as he knew he was wanted.
Judge Richard Mansell KC told Wilson that he “allowed it drift on for months” but said he would not lock him up, despite the serious nature of perverting the course of justice.
He gave him an eight-month sentence, suspended for 12 months, along with 20 rehabilitation days with probation to complete.