Disqualified driver was caught behind the wheel

A driver has avoided a road ban despite being caught behind the wheel in Musselburgh while disqualified.

Disqualified driver appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court

Nicodema Masecchia, from Haddington, was stopped in his car by police officers on mobile patrol at around 3.20pm on July 9 this year.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told Masecchia provided a provisional licence but following checks it was found he was disqualified from driving following a previous offence.

Officers also contacted the 41-year-old’s insurance company and it was found there was no valid cover on the vehicle.

He was arrested and charged and appeared at the capital court along with an interpreter on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to the two offences.

Solicitor George Henry said his client had been banned from driving for six months in January this year and Masecchia had made a mistake as he “thought the ban was up”.

Mr Henry said the January ban still had 21 days to run when he was pulled over by police at Linkfield Road in Musselburgh.

The lawyer added Masecchai, an unemployed chef, lives in “a rural location” on the outskirts of Haddington and his licence “is very important to him”.

He said: “He does have a number of analogous convictions but this does seem to be a genuine mistake.”

Sheriff Kenneth Campbell said: “There will be no ban but the court will not be so generous in future.”

The sheriff placed six penalty points on the Italian national’s driving licence and fined him £230.

Masecchia pleaded guilty to driving a vehicle while disqualified and with no insurance.

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