Shop trip lands builder in court

A TRIP to buy cigarettes from a Huntingdon petrol station left a builder facing 60 hours community service. Craig Thorogood, of Blenheim Court, Wyton, was serving a driving ban when he stopped at the Texaco garage on the A141, the town s magistrates heard

A TRIP to buy cigarettes from a Huntingdon petrol station left a builder facing 60 hours community service.

Craig Thorogood, of Blenheim Court, Wyton, was serving a driving ban when he stopped at the Texaco garage on the A141, the town's magistrates heard.

Thorogood, 23, pleaded guilty to driving whilst disqualified and holding no insurance in court on Thursday.

Prosecutor John Nooijen said Thorogood, who is disqualified from driving until March 2009 for a drink-drive matter, arrived at the petrol station in Ford Fiesta on March 18.

He only came to the attention of the police because he did not have enough money to pay for the petrol he put in the car, Mr Nooijen said.

The prosecutor added that after leaving his details with staff at the garage, Thorogood did not make any payments and the police were involved, at which point they realised he was a disqualified driver.

Representing himself, Thorogood told magistrates he had been let down on a lift to work and had decided to drive himself to work, despite his ban.

The builder, who already owed the court £310 in fines for matters including not wearing a seatbelt and having no insurance, said he was 'very sorry' for the incident.

Unimpressed magistrates ordered Thorogood to complete 60 hours of unpaid work, pay £60 prosecution costs and placed six points on his license for having no insurance. He was also made the subject of a 12-month community order.