Driver, 72, without a licence since 1985 fails to appear at court
A 72-year-old serial offender caught driving an unregistered and uninsured car without holding a licence since 1985 failed to front court yesterday, where he was ordered off the road for another three years.
A 72-year-old serial offender caught driving an unregistered and uninsured car without holding a licence since 1985 failed to front court yesterday, where he was ordered off the road for another three years.
Tuggerah Lakes Highway Patrol officers were conducting random breath tests on Tuggerah Parade at Long Jetty on the morning of November 3 when their automatic number plate recognition system detected an unregistered vehicle.
Police did a U-turn and pulled over the Holden Statesman.
“The accused was asked to produce his drivers licence and he has attempted to look around the vehicle before looking at police and stated `I don’t have one’,” a set of police facts tendered to Wyong Local Court read.
Michael Vahan Arratoon, of Long Jetty, told police his licence had been suspended a long time ago and he never went back to get a new one.
He said he was on his way to the chemist and underwent a roadside breath test, which returned a negative result.
Checks revealed the elderly man was disqualified from driving after a couple of drink-driving offences in the early 1980s and his licence expired in 1985.
Police also asked if he new his car’s registration had also expired seven years ago and he replied “yeah I know”.
Arratoon was due to face court yesterday but failed to appear and was convicted in his absence to driving without a licence and driving an unregistered, uninsured vehicle.
Magistrate Peter Feather disqualified him from driving for a further three years.
Arratoon’s appalling driving record, which was several pages long and tendered to court, revealed it was the third time he had been busted driving without a licence since 2011.
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