A landscape gardener fixed cloned plates to his Mercedes in an attempt to hide the fact he was banned from driving.
Dillan Jocelyn-Duffield claimed he had only made a 10-minute journey to pick up a friend in need when he was pulled over by police.
He was arrested after officers spotted him in the Tesco Superstore car park in Aisher Way, Riverhead, on April 5 and realised his registration plate didn’t belong to the car.
After pulling him over, they discovered the 20-year-old was disqualified from driving and, as a result, had no insurance to drive the vehicle either.
Jocelyn-Duffield, of Hazelbourne Avenue, Borough Green, later admitted to driving while disqualified and uninsured, and using an incorrect registered vehicle.
He returned to Medway Magistrates’ Court on August 18 to learn his fate.
Dylan Bradshaw, prosecuting, said: “In December, he received a 12-month community order with unpaid work and a 12-month ban for driving without due care and attention and having a knife, which happened in September 2024.
“But on April 5, he was seen while driving a Mercedes by police in Riverhead, Sevenoaks, and the officers knew it was a cloned registration plate.”
The court heard that when he was pulled over, Jocelyn-Duffield identified himself to officers and there were others in the vehicle with him.
The prosecutor added: “Officers confirmed he was disqualified and had no insurance and that the vehicle was displaying an incorrect plate.
“He’s lightly convicted but was on a ban, and he’s still on a community order.”
The court also heard from a probation officer who said Jocelyn-Duffield had told him he had made foolish errors over the past year or so, and after being banned, had kept his Mercedes on his driveway.
He then decided to drive it after he got a call from a friend who was distressed as his vehicle had broken down. The court heard the pal had exhausted all options to get help, and Jocelyn-Duffield had been his last resort.
The probation officer added: “He made a 10-minute journey to support his friend, and that has led to another conviction.
“He was honest with the police and has now sold the vehicle to avoid temptation.”
The officer also told magistrates Jocelyn-Duffield was complying with the community order he was on and had another 134 hours of unpaid work to do, but advised they should revoke that order and place him on a new, longer one, as a punishment.
The chairman of the bench then asked Jocelyn-Duffield, who lives with his dad, if he had anything to say about his crimes.
He said: “It was stupid, I apologise. I didn’t want to be in this situation again.
“I accept my punishment, and there is no car there any more.”
Magistrates followed the recommendations of the probation officer and revoked the community order Jocelyn-Duffield was on and placed him on a new one lasting 18 months, with an extra 150 hours of unpaid work to complete.
He was banned from driving for another six months and, as he has another six months to complete on his first ban, is now disqualified for another year.
His licence was also endorsed and he was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £114 as well as £85 court costs.
