A UNIVERSITY student intent on sticking to the rules was fined £80 for driving without insurance by magistrates in Swindon on Tuesday.

Burak Ozgul, 23, of Uxbridge Road, Freshbrook, pleaded guilty to driving his father’s Ford Focus car in Bridge End Road, Swindon without insurance on June 26 this year.

Representing himself in court, he told the bench that he had been surprised to find that he was not named on his father’s policy after being stopped by the police.

He took his documents into the police station as requested the next day but the insurance cover note he produced was not effective until the day after the offence.

“It was dad’s car. I thought I was insured on that policy,” he told the court. “I am very sorry. Me and my dad a really strict on the rules, otherwise I wouldn’t have done it. I did get insurance the very next day.”

Bench chairman Diana Crockett said that while the magistrates had every sympathy, the law was the law and ignorance was no defence.

In addition to the £80 fine, Ozgul’s licence was endorsed with six penalty points, he was fined £120, reduced to £80 for his guilty plea, and ordered to pay court costs of £80 and a victim surcharge of £30.