A SALESMAN has been allowed to carry on driving despite notching up a staggering THIRTY ONE penalty points on his licence.
Jeffrey Englander, 60, accumulated the points after committing a series of motoring offences, including speeding and failing to produce his insurance documents.
Drivers are usually disqualified when once they reach 12 points but Mr Englander is still on the road with nearly three times the limit after pleading 'exceptional hardship'.
He successfully argued that a driving ban would put his new business at risk and was given one last chance.
Mr Englander, of Prestwich, told the M.E.N: 'I pleaded hardship and had a fantastic magistrate who let me off, I couldn't believe it.'
Alarmed
Last night, road safety campaigners said they were 'alarmed' that he had escaped a driving ban with so many points on his licence and called on the courts to take a harder line on motoring convictions.
Mr Englander, who represented himself when he appeared before Salford Magistrates' Court, said: 'The magistrate just said: 'I'll let you off this time'.
'I think I had spent a night in jail and maybe they felt sorry for me.
'I said I needed my car for my job and he said, on that occasion, they would let me off but if I got one more point I would be banned. '
He added: 'I was very apologetic. You have to be very, very humble. The more they can see you are sorry, the more chance you have of getting off.
' I was very humble and also dressed respectfully.'
Loophole
Mr Englander returned to court on a charge of failing to produce insurance papers - but he escaped any more points when Manchester motoring law specialists firm Geoffrey Miller found a legal loophole.
Jeanette Miller, supervising solicitor at the company, said: 'Mr Englander came to us with 31 points on his driving licence. I have never seen a driving licence like it.
'We put forward that this offence should have been dealt with at the same time as the other matters. That did not happen due to an administrative error. He would have received a further eight points, taking him up to 39 points. However, the court accepted our argument.'
Mr Englander said he has now mended his ways.
He said: 'I'm not going to push things. I'm just driving very, very carefully now. I don't need any more problems.'
Shocking
A spokeswoman for Brake, the national road safety charity, said: 'Brake is very disappointed to hear that Mr Englander is still allowed to drive with a shocking 31 points on his licence.
'The magistrate's justification of the 'exceptional hardship' Mr Englander would face if he lost his licence would be incomparable to a family's loss if his continued dangerous driving caused a fatality.
'Legal loopholes must be closed and magistrates must use their full power to in punishing repeat offenders.'
A spokesman for Road Safety charity Roadpeace said: 'I've never previously come across someone with such a number of points on their licence.
'We are alarmed that the court sees fit to allow this person to continue driving while he appears to have no qualms about flouting driving regulations.'
WHAT'S your view on this case? Have your say.
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Typical salesman attitude he should be made to suffer "great hardship" in a prison cell breaking rocks!
Ridiculous! I can agree - maybe - of him getting a second chance when his points topped the usual 12 that attracts a ban. To get to 31 without a ban though - ridiculous!
No wonder 'The Great British Motorist' (copyright the AA) thinks that driving within the law (especially with regards speeding) is entirely optional!
Does his Insurance Company know he has accumulated these points ? If not.. then convict him of Obtaining Pecuniary Advantage by Deception and JAIL him ! That way he'll be off the road.
Goes to show what a good brief can do I guess. Thousands of people still get banned so the odd one getting off is hope for all of us!
Drivers like this kill people. Letting people off creates an environment where the law is not respected and people expect to get away with breaking it.
Does the magistrate take no account of the suffering and hardship inflicted on 3500+ families each year when one of their loved ones is killed?
Hardship? He's 60 years old and should know better. Tough!
If this was a younger man, he would have no licence.
Come on beaks: let's get this burk off the road please.
Ban him and make sure he never drives again!
This man is a danger to road users .Is this the message that we need to send out to new drivers let alone older ones? No wonder our roads are getting more dangerous by the day ?
No wonder he looks so smug! He pretended to be remorseful, acted humble, pleaded hardship and dressed in a respectful manner. Outrageous! Ban him from driving for life!
All these calls for the guy to be banned - what a load of nonsense.
Nowhere in the article does it say he was convicted of dangerous driving or driving without due care.
Excessive speed is not dangerous in itself, inappropriate use of speed is & that includes drivign at below the posted limit when conditions are poor.
Im sorry but if all you have to do to get off with being banned from driving is be 'apologetic and dress respectfully' then we can all break the law and just bat our eyelids when infront of the Magistrates. Just goes to show the sense of this country - it astounds me! I'm surprised he didn't plea senile dementia and then claim compensation for the 'upset' the court visits have caused - its a bloody joke!!
At his age,and previous traffic convictions;not even ordered to do a re-test..That Magistrate wants to have a good look at themself.(As well as those other Magistrates that "failed" to ban this Menace)..You have not served your Community well....You are the fodder that Conspiracy theorists thrive on.
Dave, B - this man represented himself at the original hearing so keeping his licence had nothing to do with him having a brief. This is just an appalling decision by the court to allow this man to stay on the road.
An absolute disgrace. Not only should he be banned he should be made to retake and pass his driving test before he is allowed to have his licence back and the idiot magistrate who let him off should never be allowed to judge another case
Read between the lines if this man had 50 points he would still have got off his faith following helped him in this one. its who you know and how good a solicitor you can afford if he kills anyone near my synogogue he wont get a second chance.
As long as this applies to everybody in the same position.
He seems like a very nice man who has now learnt his lesson. He should be allowed to carry on driving as long as he is careful.
Hang on a minute, how is this guy dangerous? The article does not say what he got the points for, he may have been caught a few times marginally above the speed limit, and seems to have got points for failing to produce, although did have insurance.
You people seem to have taken in the rubbish that speed is the most important aspect to road safety. (Police reports say speeding causes 3% of accidents, and 95% of accidents occur at under 30mph).
Having points on your license does not directly relate to being a dangerous driver.
I think you could call him stupid, but there is no evidence he is dangerous.
Brake's PC comment's suggesting this man is a dangerous driver are predictable as well as inaccurate. As are most of the hysterical kneejerk comments here. There are thousands of people banned for trivial speeding and other documentary non-compliance offences. This man is simply very lucky to be in front of a magistrate who doesn't simply toe the gov't line.
Thank goodness some magistrates are beginning to realise that the link between number of points and level of dangerousness is becoming weaker and weaker.
The magistrate obviously decided the man was no danger and that he should be allowed to continue his contribution to the economy through his business endevours.
Did that woman from BRAKE hear all the evidence the magistrate heard? Of course she didn't. Just the usual ill-informed PC claptrap.
If the Courts wont ban him,any chance that Bury Council would issue an "ASBO" against this man,to ensure he never drives again for the next 10 years..Then he will have to undergo a re-test at 70 to get his Licence renewed.
This is brilliant!!! Well done Jeff!! Come on everybody else lighten up!! To get out of a ban with 30 points is damn good!!! Step forward Sir Jeffrey!!!
There are some silly hysterical comments being made here.
People should be aware that the majority of those caught speeding come from low accident groups.
The dangerous driver is, in the main, not beiong caught.
He may be silly, but not necessarily dangerous.