Seat-swapping driver avoids jail after Leeds one-way street blunder
A banned driver frantically tried to swap seats with his partner when police spotted him turning the wrong way into a one-way street.
John-Paul Philip Ward was already on a suspended sentence when officers noticed the white VW Golf turn into the clearly-marked road in Leeds city centre.
The 23-year-old, who has already breached his ban once, was handed another suspended sentence at Leeds Crown Court with the judge telling him: “Be under no illusion, this really is your last chance.”
The court was told that patrolling police spotted the car turn into Upper Basinghall Street, off The Headrow, at around 3.30pm on January 25.
Following it, they then saw the female in the passenger side clambering into the driver’s seat, with Ward climbing into the back.
Checks showed Ward was on an 18-month ban, but he protested that he was not behind the wheel.
CCTV from the city centre was later checked and clearly showed he was driving.
Prosecutor Daisy Wrigley said he had three previous convictions for seven offences.
This included a previous ban for drug driving, then in September last year at Nottingham Crown Court he was convicted of dangerous driving.
The roof worker was given an eight-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, with 200 hours of unpaid work and an 18-month ban.
Ward, of Abbey Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham, has breached it once already and was given an additional 40 hours of unpaid work.
Mitigating for his latest offence, Thomas Doyle said it was an “idiotic act” but it did not necessarily deserve a custodial sentence.
The judge, Recorder Ian Mullarkey, gave him a 10-week jail sentence, suspended for 12 months.
He gave him another 40 hours of unpaid work and a further eight-month driving ban.