A COURIER business owner with 12 previous convictions for breaching driving bans was jailed today for breaching them a 13th time.

Jason Ranford appeared before magistrates in Swindon after handing himself into police.

A warrant had been issued for his arrest after he failed to attend court on Wednesday to answer the charges of driving while disqualified and not having insurance when he was stopped by police on Thamesdown Drive on December 11, 2015.

The court heard that 29-year-old Ranford had been unwell and his solicitor had asked for the matter to be adjourned, but District Judge Simon Cooper refused and issued a warrant for his arrest.

Defending him today, Alex Daymond told the court Ranford had been so unwell he hadn't been able to get a doctor's note in time for the hearing.

Chairman of the bench Andrew Jones told him they were pleased he had handed himself in, but a sickness that precluded someone from working did not necessarily prevent them from attending court. The Crown Prosecution Service did, however, withdraw the charges of failing to surrender.

Ranford, of Boxwood House, Hinton Parva, pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified and not having insurance.

Prosecuting, Keith Ballinger told the court that police officers had been tipped off that a disqualified driver was on the roads in a 65 plate VW Golf.

"At about ten past seven it passed the officers and they followed and overtook to confirm that the defendant was the driver," said Mr Ballinger.

"They pull the car over and they see him climb from the driver's seat into the rear passenger's seat. The front passenger then climbed into the driver's seat."

Despite this, Ranford made a full and frank admission to officers when interviewed.

The court heard he had been disqualified from driving for 30 months on March 5, 2014, for another offence of driving while disqualified and had 11 previous convictions on top of that one for the same offence.

He also received a suspended jail sentence of 20 weeks in October 2015 for an unrelated offence.

Defending him, Mr Daymond told the court that 12 people would be out of work if the bench chose to activate his sentence and jail him.

He said: "He has some significant contracts with DPD and Yodel, both are very significant players in the transport delivery market. He is the linchpin for that business. He also owns the vans, which are on finance, currently at around £200,000.

"Quite simply there is no-one else who can do it.

"There are going to be 12 drivers out of a job today without doubt if he goes into custody. He accepts that he is the one who has put them in that position and he is utterly sorry if that happens."

Magistrates deliberated for 25 minutes how to deal with Ranford.

Sentencing him, chairman of the bench Andrew Jones told him: "We believe that the impact [on the drivers] is far outweighed by the interests of justice and protection of the public.

"For the offence of driving while disqualified you will be sentenced to 26 weeks in custody, to be reduced by one third to 18-weeks from today.

"You will also be disqualified for a further period of 18-months, which runs from the date you are released from prison."

Ranford's licence was endorsed for driving without insurance and he was told his suspended sentence of 20 weeks would be activated consecutively. This was reduced to 15-weeks due to unpaid work he had already carried out.

He was further ordered to pay an £80 victim surcharge.