At a hearing in Warrington Magistrates’ Court on February 3, legal assistant Jasmine Newton pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.
Judge Presiding Steven Bradley told Ms. Newton, 33, that she had been treated leniently, and that a prison sentence was often given for similar offences. Her lawyer, Neil Grunfeld, told the court that she was anxious to get back to driving, as she needed to take her children to school and visit her seriously ill grandfather in Liverpool.
Ms. Newton of Monsal Avenue, Wolverhampton, had received, and ignored, numerous Notices of Intended Prosecution (NIPs) relating to previous speeding offences. She claimed that much of her mail remained unopened as she was experiencing numerous personal issues. These included coping with challenging behaviour from her 15-year-old daughter. She was, therefore, unaware of an existing totting up ban given in her absence at a hearing held in August 2025.
On January 4, 2026, Ms. Newton was driving westbound along the M62 towards Liverpool, where she and her mother were intending to visit her grandfather. When her vehicle was flagged by Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras, officers pulled her over and arrested her.
Ms. Newton, who works at a law firm specialising in property, was given a further three-month driving ban, fined £768, and ordered to pay court costs and surcharges of £392. She additionally owes £2,093 in fines and costs from previous hearings.
If you are facing a driving ban due to the process of totting up, solicitors from Auriga advocates can help you defend your driving licence. We have specialist knowledge of motoring law, and can advise and support you as your case moves through the court system.