Paul Simon Perez: Banned driver nabbed for 18th time gets jail

A convicted arsonist with an appalling driving record who has “been in court more times” than a magistrate is back behind bars.

Paul Perez has been caught driving while banned 18 times.

A shocking driver with nearly 20 disqualified or suspended priors on his rap sheet has been jailed.

Paul Simon Perez had racked up a terrible toll of traffic indiscretions, as well as committing criminal offences, over the past few years.

The 39-year-old unemployed house renovator is serving an 18-month jail term imposed by the County Court in June this year on arson, burglary and theft charges.

That court heard in October 2018 he stole a $270,000 Mercedes that was later found by cops and taken to a storage site in Cranbourne.

Perez and a mate thought it would be wise to get rid of any evidence, so broke in and torched the expensive luxury car.

But the blaze got out of hand and ended up wrecking the building as well.

All up he caused more than $400,000 in damage — which was all for nothing as police already had enough other evidence to convict Perez anyway.

On Friday he pleaded guilty to a raft of driving charges at Frankston Magistrates’ Court.

The court heard in August 2018 he was picked up while drugged up trying to tow a mate who had broken down, and in September 2018 he was nabbed on an unroadworthy, unregistered motorbike without an unauthorised helmet and again high on ice.

In April 2019 he was caught driving in Rosebud in an unregistered car and in November 2019 he was seen speeding on a motorbike with no plates in Hastings.

He was not licensed to drive a car, and has never held a motorbike licence.

Perez has 15 pages of traffic priors and his criminal rap sheet is another nine pages long.

Defence lawyer George Vassis said the father of three’s life spiralled out of control in 2018 after a relationship breakdown, and he turned to using more and more ice.

He said any jail imposed should run alongside the County Court term he was already serving as these crimes were committed around the same time.

But Magistrate Richard Pithouse said there was no way he would let the sentence for these driving offences run concurrently.

“He has four drive while disqualified in a 16-month period, add that to his 15 or so priors he already has,” Mr Pithouse said.

“This is his 18th (driving while banned), he just keeps reoffending; his record is appalling.

“In the last nine years he has spent more time in court than me.”

Perez was jailed for six months, three of which was cumulative, meaning his release date has been extended out by another three months to March 2023.

He was also fined $2000 and banned from driving for five years.