28-year-old drove while disqualified, without registration plate and with overly-tinted windows

Magistrates said they were “sympathetic” with a man who drove while disqualified without a registration plate and with overly-tinted windows.

Benas Aleksandravicius, 28, appeared at Lynn Magistrates’ Court on Thursday charged with three offences.

He pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified, keeping a vehicle with no front registration plate, and driving his car when there was insufficient transmission of light through its windows.

All three offences were committed on June 10. At around 9.20pm on that date, police officers in Lynn spotted Aleksandravicius driving his BMW along Nar Ouse Way.

They noted that the tint on the vehicle’s windows was “quite heavy”, according to crown prosecutor Lesla Small. It was subsequently revealed that only 6% of light was being transmitted through them, while the law states that 70% is the minimum limit.

After pulling the defendant over, officers also realised the car had no front registration plate in place. Further checks showed he was driving despite being banned from doing so.

He had been disqualified in December last year for a drink-driving offence, with that ban set to last until May next year.

Aleksandravicius made full admissions to his offences while at the roadside, and told officers he had been travelling to pick up his parents from an airport.

In mitigation, solicitor Liz Simons told magistrates that Aleksandravicius’ parents had recently travelled for a family member’s funeral and that he had took a train to meet them at the airport upon their return.

His father “had too much to drink” to drive them to their home at Saunby Grove, Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, and so Aleksandravicius opted to get behind the wheel instead.

“He felt driving was all he could do at the time,” Ms Simons said.

“His driving was not impaired, and he had not done anything to impair his driving.

“He has put the tint in the windows right.

“His registration plate was on the dashboard at the time. He has also put that right.”

Terrance Geater, who was leading the magistrates, said: “We are sympathetic to these circumstances.”

For driving while disqualified, the bench subsequently fined Aleksandravicius £692, and also ordered him to pay £105 in legal costs and a £277 victim surcharge.

He was handed no separate penalty for the other two offences, and did not have his current driving ban extended.

Mr Geater added: “We understand your reason for what you did. We get why you did it.”