Disqualified motorist arrested after getting back behind the wheel while wearing a cast on his leg
Updated: Jan 2, 2021
A disqualified driver is set to appear in court after telling police he got behind the wheel while wearing a leg cast.
The 31-year-old man has been charged with dangerous driving after being stopped by officers in the Lamesley area of Gateshead.
An officer was on patrol on Haggs Lane on Sunday afternoon when he spotted a car pulling a trailer in the middle of the road.
He approached the vehicle where he identified the suspected driver who was wearing a large, black moon boot – after having surgery on his leg just 10 days earlier.
The suspected driver was promptly arrested and upon his arrival in custody it emerged he was already disqualified and was wanted for a string of other offences.
He has since been charged with dangerous driving and will appear before South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court in the New Year.
Chief Inspector Sam Rennison, of Northumbria Police, said: “This arrest came as a result of a proactive officer trusting his policing instinct.
“He has seen something that didn’t look quite right and that has resulted in the arrest of a man already disqualified from driving and who was wanted for a string of offences.
“This driver also faces being convicted of dangerous driving after telling officers he had been driving while wearing a large moon boot covering a leg in a plaster cast.
“That could be incredibly dangerous and people should know it could constitute a criminal offence if we deem you not to be in a position to suitably control a vehicle.
“We have also seized this vehicle as it was completely unsuitable to be driven on the roads with one tyre completely bare and another dangerously under inflated.
“Our officers will continue to carry out patrols across the festive period and keep you safe by trusting our policing instinct.”
The 31-year-old man was summonsed to court in the New Year for dangerous driving, driving with no insurance and driving with no licence.
