A DRIVER who had escaped a ban despite racking up 31 penalty points has finally had his licence taken away.

Earlier this year, Fleet NewsNet reported how Jeffrey Englander, from Greater Manchester, convinced magistrates to let him stay behind the wheel, because a ban would cause him and his family ‘exceptional hardship’ (Fleet News, February 16).

He had racked up the points by speeding and failing to provide police with insurance documents.

But soon after celebrating when the Salford court let him off, Englander was back in the dock over an offence from January 2003.

Englander had been convicted in his absence of driving without a licence or insurance when he failed to appear at court.

He claimed at the latest hearing that he had been unaware of the 2003 case and could not be convicted because he had not had a chance to argue his case.

After six weeks of legal argument, he was given another six points and banned for six months. He was also fined £300 and ordered to pay £150 court costs, reported the Manchester Evening News. However, after serving his ban, Englander will have a clean licence.