Russian drove while disqualified

A FORMER Russian police officer has been ordered to do 80 hours work in the community after he was caught driving while disqualified.

Sergey Petriy, a police officer of 12 years, had also admitted theft of a tax disk he claimed to have found on the pavement.

Prosecutor Anita Addison told South East Suffolk Magistrates Petriy was spotted on the A14 driving towards Felixstowe at 3.45 am on July 9. This was despite the fact he was subject to a 12-month motoring ban in May this year for drink driving.

The court heard for four years Petriy worked as an anti terrorism officer in Russia, but came to the UK after being subject to persecution and is now seeking asylum in this country.

At the time of the offence he had just finished the night shift at a factory in Woodbridge when his friend who acts as chauffeur was feeling ill so he took over the wheel.

"He was two miles from his address and his friend could no longer drive," said Howard Catherall, mitigating. He said the friend suffered poor vision, was tired and driving erratically, so Petriy drove.

"Mr Petriy felt he was in a corner and decided to drive the car on the short distance home." He told magistrates Petriy was pulled over on the A14 after driving just one mile.

The 37-year-old of Church Lane, Trimley St Martin, also admitted driving the silver Audi without insurance.

In sentencing bench chair Pam Blatchley told him: "We have taken into account your prompt guilty pleas, the fact you drove an extremely short distance and you only did that because your chauffeur you had agreed to drive with was unwell."

He was given 80 hours community punishment for driving while disqualified and no insurance, to run concurrently. In addition he received eight penalty points on his licence for not having insurance. He was fined £50 for theft of the tax disk.