Luck finally ran out for a brazen banned driver when he was jailed for casually continuing to ignore a driving disqualification and blatantly carrying on taking to the roads in his car.
He was twice caught flouting the ban within just weeks of it being imposed and he also breached a suspended prison sentence imposed for drug dealing, Hull Crown Court heard.
Xhelil Poga, 30, admitted driving while disqualified and having no insurance on December 28 and January 15. He also admitted breaching a nine-month suspended prison sentence and failing to attend court on an earlier occasion.
Maya Hanson, prosecuting, said that Poga had been banned from driving by Hull magistrates for six months on September 4 under the totting-up system. But, despite this, on December 28, he was seen driving a Ford Fiesta in Princes Avenue, Hull. The test certificate had expired.
Poga was stopped in Westbourne Avenue and it was discovered that he was a disqualified driver. He claimed that he did not know that he was banned.
On January 15, police in Chequer Road, Doncaster, stopped a Ford Fiesta and Poga admitted that he had found out the week before that he was disqualified from driving but he claimed that he was unaware that he had been banned previously. He had no insurance.
Poga had been brought before the court in custody after being arrested on a warrant issued when he failed to attend a previous hearing on April 25. He had convictions for nine previous offences, including driving while over the limit for drugs in November 2019.
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He had been given a nine-month suspended prison sentence in March 2023 for possessing cocaine and cannabis with intent to supply. He was in breach of that order by committing the latest offences.
Amber Hobson, mitigating, said that Poga was travelling to the Hull area when he was arrested. “For some reason, he keeps driving a car,” said Miss Hobson. “He understands that he has made poor decisions.”
Poga had previously got into debt while taking cannabis and he ended up drug dealing. “He is now free of drugs,” said Miss Hobson.
Poga, of Wharfedale Close, Leeds, was jailed for one year. He was banned from driving for 19 months.