A LEXUS driver from Taunton has avoided a driving ban for speeding because of the impact it would have on his job and family.
Michael Adrian Swanston, of Burchs Close, admitted breaking a 30mph speed limit on the A379 Elburton Road in Plymouth on May 20, 2022.
Court documents do not confirm the speed Swanston, 56, was driving a Lexus IS300H car at.
He was handed three penalty points at Taunton Magistrates’ Court yesterday (Wednesday, June 8), taking him over the totting up limit for disqualification.
He was not banned from driving because of “mitigating circumstances” regarding his employment and family’s reliance upon his income.
Court documents say Swanston would have been dismissed from his job if he banned, leading to “loss of livelihood” and an “impact upon the defendant’s employer and colleagues”.
The court listing adds: “The defendant has a financially dependent partner and children who rely upon the defendant’s income.
“The defendant assists in the care of a vulnerable individual who is dependent upon the defendant’s driving licence.”
The court listing also says losing his licence would “impact upon the defendant’s contact with his teenage daughter”.
Swanston was fined £200 and ordered to pay £90 in court costs and a £34 surcharge to fund victim services.
He has until July 6 to pay his £324 court bill.
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