A SUFFOLK man with a string of driving offences has been handed a six-week prison sentence and banned from driving for six months.James Derek Pollard, 30, was arrested on Tuesday after getting caught driving his wife's Ford Galaxy people carrier while serving a two-year ban for a similar offence.

A SUFFOLK man with a string of driving offences has been handed a six-week prison sentence and banned from driving for six months.

James Derek Pollard, 30, was arrested on Tuesday after getting caught driving his wife's Ford Galaxy people carrier while serving a two-year ban for a similar offence.

Pollard, who has been banned from driving since he was 16, was also uninsured.

He has a total of 21 previous convictions for driving while disqualified and two for drink driving.

District Judge, David Cooper, sitting at South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court, said Pollard's track record was “appalling”.

He said: “I could lock him up for 50 years and he would still want to drive when he came out wouldn't he?

“It's amazing to me.”

Pollard, who is originally from Liverpool, but now lives in Joyce Road, Bungay, has never had a driving licence.

He was caught driving along the A146 at Worlingham.

Roger Thomson, defending Pollard, told the court he was family man who would be missing the first few weeks of his new son's life if he were given a custodial sentence.

He has four children aged from four weeks to six-years-old and his wife and cousin were in court to support him.

Judge Cooper sentenced him to six weeks in prison and disqualified him from driving for a further six months.

He said: “I'm going to be lenient because of no particular reason apart from the fact that you've got this young lady here and a young family and the sooner you're back home with them the better.”

He added: “Can't you just get a bicycle or something?”

Have you or your family been affected by driving offences? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.