A DRUG addict who has been convicted of driving while disqualified 24 times has been remanded in custody after he admitted committing the same offence for the 25th time.

A DRUG addict who has been convicted of driving while disqualified 24 times has been remanded in custody after he admitted committing the same offence for the 25th time.

Clive Wilson, 34, of Hopton Road, Barningham, near Bury St Edmunds, left the court retching from the effects of withdrawal symptoms of a heroin and crack addiction after he admitted driving while disqualified on Tuesday in Burrell Road, Ipswich.

He also admitted driving without insurance.

Police found him behind the wheel of a blue Ford Fiesta after he was stopped for having a defective rear break light.

Subsequent searches found him to be disqualified from driving and he admitted the offence while being interviewed by police.

Prosecutor Gareth Davies told Ipswich magistrates that Wilson had a ten-year history of motoring offences, including 24 previous convictions for driving while banned from the roads.

He had been most recently banned for three years at Ipswich Crown Court in March this year, the court heard.

Mr Davies went on to oppose any bail application because he said there was substantial risk he would re-offend.

In mitigation Ian Persaud said that his client had been in the grip of a heroin addiction for six years and had abusing crack cocaine for the last six months.

He appealed to the bench at South East Suffolk magistrates court to hand out a drug treatment order because "he had been put in prison time and again – for him it doesn't work."

Mr Persaud added that only one of his previous convictions of driving while banned had been committed while on bail.

However, chairman of the bench Bernie Stowe remanded Wilson in custody to appear at Bury magistrates court next Thursday when Wilson will face further charges for separate motoring offences.