An 18-year-old driver has landed himself in hot water after being caught behind the wheel while already disqualified. Barry Ayres, from Bognor Regis, has been slapped with a hefty driving ban and a suspended jail sentence following a Police crackdown.
Police Snag Blue BMW on A259
Sussex Police’s Roads Policing Unit spotted Ayres driving a blue BMW 3 Series on the A259 towards Flansham at around 10:50pm on Thursday, 5 February. With back-up from the Dog Unit, officers expertly boxed in the car and stopped it safely on Felpham Relief Road.
Repeat Offender Caught Again
- Ayres had already been banned from driving after a conviction in August 2024.
- He was seen driving the same BMW on 30 January, but couldn’t be stopped then due to a high-priority incident. This was logged for intelligence.
- He faced charges for two counts of driving while disqualified and two counts of driving without insurance linked to his actions on both 30 January and 5 February.
Sentenced to Suspended Jail andan Extended Ban
At Crawley Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 16 February, Ayres pleaded guilty to all charges. He was handed an eight-week prison term, suspended for 12 months, and hit with an extra 542-day driving ban.
“We are committed to keeping disqualified drivers off our roads and will robustly deal with these offences, remanding offenders before the courts where necessary,” said PC Rob Potter of the Roads Policing Unit.
