A former Swindon nightclub boss has been sentenced to 18 weeks in prison - more than two months after magistrates issued a warrant for his arrest.

Jason Ranford, 31, of Hinton Parva, who previously ran the town centre’s Brunel Rooms, was convicted for driving without a licence while carrying passengers in a limousine.

The arrest warrant was initially issued by Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on July 18, after he failed to appear before the court on July 14 and July 18.

Ranford was pulled over driving a Ford Excursion stretch limousine on June 16, with fee-paying passengers in the vehicle.

He had no driving licence, and therefore was not insured. He orignially faced an additional charge of not having a valid MOT, but this charge was dropped in court.

Ranford, who pleaded guilty to the charges, was finally back before the magistrates in Basingstoke on September 11, where he was committed to prison for 18 weeks, and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £115.

He was also disqualified from driving for 24 months.

When handing down the sentence, magistrates took into account his history of 13 previous convictions for driving while disqualified.

The long-distance nature of the journey, and the fact that he was carrying paying passengers, were also considered as aggravating factors.