A REPEAT driving offender was yesterday stripped of his licence after yet another incident last year.
Koroit resident Aaron Charles Watson, 29, appeared in Warrnambool Magistrates Court yesterday, pleading guilty to charges of driving with a suspended licence, driving an unregistered vehicle and not wearing a seatbelt.
The Commercial Road man, who had four prior driving convictions, was handed 200 hours of unpaid community work and had his licence suspended for three months.
On March 20 last year Watson was pulled over by a police officer on Hopetoun Road in Warrnambool.
The court heard he told the officer his licence, which was suspended due to numerous penalties, had been left at home.
When first interviewed, Watson told police he thought he had his licence renewed.
He said the car was unregistered because he had just picked it up and he was not wearing his seatbelt because he had come from around the corner.
The court heard a plea for exceptional circumstances to be considered, since Watson had full-time care of his two-year-old son and was raising him alone.
Magistrate Jonathan Klestadt stressed how serious the charges were, even if they appeared to be the result of low-risk crimes.
“Everyone knows how important it is to drive independently but you’re supposed to know the threat of losing your licence is a deterrent,” he said.
“This doesn’t seem to work with you and you continue to offend over a long period.
“If caught again whether the jail is full or whether you have someone to look after, you’ll see jail time.”