Serial motoring offender gets driving ban and unpaid work

An irresponsible motorist committed a series of driving offences after he had bought a car which he was planning to get repaired and put through an MOT.
Chesterfield magistrates' court.Chesterfield magistrates' court.
Chesterfield magistrates' court.

Richard Ambler, 31, of Welbeck Road, Bolsover, pleaded guilty at Chesterfield magistrates’ court to offences including driving without due care and attention, two counts of driving without insurance, one of driving without a test certificate, failing to report an accident to police and obstructing police.

The court heard on September 14 how Ambler had originally been in involved in a collision with a parked vehicle at a McDonald’s restaurant car park, at Markham Vale Services, near Junction 29A but after he was confronted by the other driver and two females he fled.

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Prosecuting solicitor Sam Matkin said: “The other driver had parked his car at McDonald’s and it was brought to his attention that his car had been hit and the defendant’s vehicle was pointed out.

“They went out and challenged the defendant and he denied hitting the vehicle and there was an argument and the defendant left the incident.”

Mr Matkin added that weeks later the defendant was asked to come to the police station for a voluntary interview after the incident had been reported and he was suspected of driving without due care and attention, driving without insurance and for failing to report an incident.

On that same day, police also received a report of a single-vehicle collision on Rother Way, Chesterfield, and a description of the defendant was provided by a witness and Ambler was also asked to account for this incident.

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Mr Matkin explained that Ambler had crashed the vehicle into a ditch on Rother Way and he had left the scene and when he returned the vehicle had gone but he went on to falsely report to police that it had been stolen from his home.

Ambler pleaded guilty to careless driving, driving without insurance and to failing to report an accident from June 24 and also admitted a further count of driving without insurance and driving without a test certificate from July 28 and to obstructing police from July 29.

Defence solicitor Denny Lau said Ambler had purchased the car on the day of the first incident at McDonald’s to repair and put through an MOT and it was not insured.

Mr Lau said Ambler claimed he was not aware there had been a collision at McDonald’s, which was captured on CCTV, and he drove away because other people were becoming aggressive.

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Ambler also claimed that on the day he was going to the police station he was taking the vehicle to the test centre but he lost control of the faulty vehicle and it went into the ditch.

Magistrates sentenced Ambler to a 12 month community order with 40 hours of unpaid work.

He was also disqualified from driving for six months and ordered to pay £85 costs and an £85 victim surcharge.