A DRIVER who used a photocopied insurance disc despite having no valid licence or insurance has been jailed for four months.
Arthur George Teixeira De Sousa (58) was also banned from driving for 12 months and ordered to retake his test when he was sentenced in the Magistrate’s Court recently.
He admitted driving without insurance or a licence, displaying an insurance disc with intent to deceive and producing insurance documents with intent to deceive.
Crown Advocate Peter Connick, prosecuting, said police received a report about De Sousa and a van in St Brelade on 13 February.
Officers discovered that his provisional licence had expired in June 2025 and that the insurance disc displayed on the vehicle was a photocopy.
The court heard that, after being asked to provide proof of insurance, De Sousa approached his former employer, Rateavon, for documents and attempted to present them to police as evidence that he had been covered.
Advocate James Corbett, defending, said De Sousa admitted the allegations during his first police interview and maintained “excellent communication” with officers.
He argued that it had not been a “cynical” attempt to get hold of false documents and “hoodwink” the police.
However, Relief Magistrate David Le Cornu told De Sousa that he “knew full well” that he had no valid licence or insurance.
The Magistrate also noted that De Sousa had previous convictions from eight years ago for driving without insurance and while disqualified.
“These offences call for an immediate custodial sentence,” he said.
