1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160 
Driver banned in Ireland and UK narrowly escapes prison
Page 25
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
AN IRISH driver already banned in his own country has now been banned from UK roads after being found guilty of tachograph offences and driving without an LG V licence or insurance.
When Barry Wolverson of Dublin appeared before magistrates in Llandudno, North Wales, he admitted the offences. They imposed a four-month prison sentence suspended for two years, along with a two-year ban and £60 costs.
James Neary, prosecuting, said the Scania artic driven by Wolverson had been stopped on the A55 at Conwy, on its way to Holyhead on Anglesey from Ghent in Belgium. On inspection, the tachograph showed the time as midnight when it was actually noon. An examination of the tractor unit revealed an interruptor switch mounted below the handbrake which switched off the tacho. It transpired that Wolverson had failed to take the required rest. In 2003, Wolverson had been given a five-month suspended prison sentence at Holyhead for similar offences. He was currently serving a two-year driving ban imposed in Dublin which did not apply in the UK.
Wolverson said that many trucks were fitted with switches to turn off their tachographs in a bid to fool the police.
In his defence, Nia Dawson said her client was simply a driver who had been given a time to get back to Holyhead to catch a ferry, and realised he wasn't going to make it within his legal hours.
Because of financial pressures, she explained, he behaved foolishly He owed £70,000 after a business collapsed and had been offered part-time work providing holiday cover.
Sentencing Wolverson, the magistrates said he had endangered road users. This was his second offence and he must have been well aware of the situation.