A banned driver thought he was legally allowed behind the wheel because he had served a prison sentence, York magistrates heard.

But Steven Daniel Bailey's three-year driving disqualification was still in force when police stopped him on Wigginton Road, York, at 2.55pm, on June 7, said prosecutor Fiona McKechnie.

Bailey, of Fossway, York, pleaded guilty to driving whilst disqualified and driving without insurance, and was ordered to do 120 hours' unpaid work for the community and pay £50 prosecution costs. Magistrates also put six penalty points on his licence - when he gets it back in September 2006.

His solicitor, Harry Bayman, said his client had originally got a community sentence for the driving offence that led to Goole magistrates disqualifying him on September 2, 2003.

The community sentence was later changed to four months in prison and he thought that the new punishment wiped out the ban.

Updated: 10:39 Saturday, June 18, 2005