Nelu Marian Ignat was arrested after being stopped by Customs officers as he came off the boat on 12 December.
The Magistrate’s Court heard that the 33-year-old, who had been disqualified from driving for an offence committed in 2014, believed that the short distance was not part of his ban and had organised for a fully insured friend to pick up the car from the Harbour.
Advocate James Bell, defending, said that his client’s case was very unusual and that it was more of a technical mistake than anything else.
‘It is perfectly lawful for him to drive in England and he has the right insurance there,’ the advocate said. ‘He did not think that driving from the ferry to the gate was deemed driving in Jersey.
‘He genuinely believed he was doing the right thing. Unfortunately he got that wrong, and for that he is very sorry.’
Ignat, who pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified and driving without insurance, was fined £400.
Assistant Magistrate Peter Harris, who was presiding over the case, said he accepted that the offences fell at the bottom end of the scale but added that the defendant should have checked the rules before travelling to Jersey.
