Disqualified driver sent to prison after attempting to drive friend from Northamptonshire to London airport

A 27-year-old man has been sent to prison after a friend paid him £40 to drive him to an airport whilst disqualified.

Mohammed Ishrit, aged 27, of Wordsworth Road in Leicester, appeared at Northampton Magistrates Court on Wednesday, May 3 where he pleaded guilty to driving whilst disqualified and without insurance.

The court heard that Ishrit was driving his silver Audi A6 on the M1 southbound when ANPR cameras picked up that the vehicle was uninsured.

Officers, as a result, displayed a ‘follow me’ sign to Ishrit, which was ignored. A second attempt was made to stop Ishrit’s car when police indicated for him to pull over but the court heard that Ishrit, in a bid to evade officers, tucked his vehicle behind a lorry.

Cheryl Burrage, prosecuting, said police then indicated again for the defendant to pull over but, once officers pulled over, the defendant drove past them.

The fourth attempt to get Ishrit to stop was a success - officers displayed their ‘follow me’ sign and they stopped at the Junction 15A service station.

Ishrit told officers he was unable to provide any form of ID and police felt he was being “evasive,” the court heard. The defendant, however, confirmed his address and admitted that he was disqualified from driving.

The defendant’s previous convictions include dangerous driving in 2018 and - on April 26 earlier this year - driving whilst disqualified.

Mr Nicholls, defending Ishrit, said that the defendant was asked by a friend to drop them off at Heathrow Airport and was offered £40 in return.

The defence barrister added: “He appreciates that was a stupid decision to make in the first place and there were very poor thinking skills in relation to that.”

The court heard that Ishrit has lived in a hostel for over two years after being released from custody in 2021 in relation to his dangerous driving offence in 2018 and has just recently been told that he is next on the council waiting list to receive accommodation.

Regarding the April 2023 charge of driving whilst disqualified, Mr Nicholls told the court that this charge arose from the defendant driving his vehicle on November 11, 2022 when a drunk driver crashed into him.

He said that the police did nothing at that stage and the defendant was only recently issued with a court summons in relation to that matter.

The court heard that Ishrit suffers from anxiety, depression and PTSD and he is relied upon to provide care for family members - including one relative who is paralysed down one side of their body due to a brain tumour.

Ishrit was sentenced to 10 weeks in prison for driving whilst disqualified and no separate penalty was imposed for driving without insurance. He was also disqualified from driving for a further 16 months.