A DRIVER who ended up in court was left scratching his head after his insurance company still took his money despite him being banned.

Philip Hudson of Vesta Tilley Court in Worcester, who is also in breach of a suspended sentence, admitted driving while disqualified and using a car without insurance when he appeared before magistrates in Worcester on Thursday.

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The 27-year-old was stopped while behind the wheel of a Vauxhall Corsa in the city's Battenhall Road on March 10.

Mark Turnbull, defending, said Hudson did have an insurance policy but, because he had no licence, the policy was not valid.

"You have been taking my money off me for an insurance policy that was never valid", Hudson was said to have told his solicitor, referring to the insurance policy.

The solicitor said there were no aggravating features to the driving itself. "There's nothing wrong with the nature of his driving" said Mr Turnbull.

He added: "This very fairly and squarely sits in the lowest category in the guidelines."

The offences, he argued, would attract between six and eight penalty points. Hudson is also in breach of a crown court suspended sentence.

However, Mr Turnbull urged magistrates to deal with the case rather than sending the matter to crown.

"I would suggest, bearing in mind the nature of the offence, this is not something you need to trouble the crown court with. It's dissimilar offending. I would suggest it's something this court should deal with," he said.

Magistrates endorsed his licence with six penalty points for driving without insurance. They also fined him £80, reduced from £120 to reflect his guilty plea at the earliest opportunity.

They further ordered him to pay a £34 victim surcharge and a contribution towards costs of £135.

Magistrates also made a fines collection order, giving the court extra powers to recover the money. The bench also warned him that he would need to apply for his licence back from the DVLA at the end of the disqualification. "You cannot drive again until you have the licence in your hand", the chairman told him.