Disqualified driver jailed after being caught on Peterborough road

Renatas Ramanas, of Watergall, Bretton, Peterborough, was handed a suspended sentence for driving whilst disqualified in February last year and banned from getting behind the wheel for 12 months.

However, the 30-year-old was spotted by officers at just after 8am on Saturday (9 January) driving a black BMW in Lincoln Road, Peterborough.

The police car’s ANPR system flagged up the car and possible driver and police turned round with the intention to stop it and carry out further checks.

As they became aware of the police car behind them, the driver of the BMW darted left into Northfield Road and parked at a local car garage.

Soon after the officers noticed a man walking on the pavement opposite the garage, with staff at the garage pointing towards him.

Ramanas confirmed he was the driver of the BMW and said he was walking to his friend’s house to get him to collect the car.

Checks revealed Ramanas was driving whilst disqualified, without a licence and without insurance.

He was arrested and made a full admission, saying he knew he was disqualified until February this year and should not have been driving.

Ramanas said his friend had insurance to drive the car, but not him. He also admitted not having a UK driving licence.

At the end of the interview he was further arrested for breaching a suspended sentence.

He was charged with the offences and appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Monday (11 January).

Magistrates activated Ramanas’s previous eight-week suspended sentence and handed him a further 10 weeks for the fresh offences –making a total of 18 weeks behind bars. He was also disqualified from driving for two years.

PC Ben Patten, who investigated, said: “Ramanas had clearly failed to learn his lesson and in doing so increased the severity of his sentence.

“He was spotted by officers on proactive patrols and this highlights our message that we can’t be everywhere, but we could be anywhere.

“This case also shows the consequences of breaching a suspended sentence order; doing so will more than likely see you behind bars.”