Matthew Peter Esgate nabbed five times driving disqualified on same Newtown street within four weeks

A 41-year-old has been ordered off the road for a decade after he was caught riding a motorcycle while disqualified five times in a month on the same Newtown street.

A 41-year-old man caught driving while disqualified five times within a month on the same Toowoomba street now has a jail term hanging over his head and no driver’s licence for 10 years.

Matthew Peter Esgate had been disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence by the court in July 2021 for two years and six months, Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told.

However, he had been seen riding a motorcycle on Poinciana St, Newtown, on March 4, twice on March 31 and twice on April 5, police prosecutor Anita Page told the court.

Esgate pleaded guilty to all five counts of driving while disqualified by court order.

Matthew Peter Esgate leaves Toowoomba Courthouse after being sentenced for five counts of disqualified driving.

His solicitor Alysha Jacobsen, of Bouchier Khan Lawyers, told the court her client had a good work record up until December 2020 when he was diagnosed with a brain tumour for which he was off work for two years while undergoing treatment.

However, when he recently obtained work Esgate had paid $1500 for a motorcycle which he only rode for work, she said.

Her client had now lost that job due to being charged, Ms Jacobsen said.

Esgate had since moved to the Gold Coast to live and care for his parents, she said.

Magistrate Kay Philipson told Esgate he would have known that he shouldn’t have been on the road.

“You foolishly chose to totally disregard the orders of the court,” Ms Philipson said.

Ms Phillipson sentenced Esgate to six months in jail, wholly suspended for 12 months, and on each disqualified driving offence disqualified him from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for two years.

Ms Phillipson explained that the Department of Transport would deem those disqualification periods as cumulative terms, meaning Esgate was disqualified from driving for a total 10 years but he would be able to bring an application before the court to have the disqualification periods removed after two years.