A CARER caught behind the wheel of a company car while subject to a driving ban has avoided jail.

Liden man Simanga Njara initially gave police a false name when they stopped him near Marlborough on Monday.

But the 47-year-old’s attempt at deception was unmasked as soon as he got to the police station, where checks revealed he had previous convictions for driving while disqualified.

This week, magistrates said his poor record made the latest offences more serious. Njara was sentenced to 14 weeks imprisonment suspended for a year.

Hatty Stafford-Charles, chairman of the bench, said: “If you break any of the requirements or are convicted of another offence you can expect a prison sentence.

“We take the view sequence of offences in the context of the previous offences is so serious there is no alternative.”

Prosecuting, Kate Prince said police had stopped Njara at around 10.30pm on the A361 heading out of Devizes towards Marlborough. Police systems had flagged the vehicle as being uninsured.

When he was stopped, Njara gave another’s name and said he was driving on a Zimbabwean licence. However, concerns about the identity given by Njara saw him arrested and taken back to the police station. It was there that his true identity was discovered, with officers realising he was banned from driving until November 2021.

Njara, of Barrington Close, Liden, pleaded guilty to driving whilst disqualified, driving without insurance and obstructing a police constable.

Tony Nowogrodzki, defending, said his client had been on the road for much of the day – sent from Salisbury to Liverpool and back by the care company for which he worked.

His colleague had done all the driving. However, by the end of the day he was exhausted and had returned to his home in Salisbury. Njara was stranded in the cathedral city with no chance of getting back to Swindon by bus or train.

Njara had been tempted to use one of the company pool cars, Mr Nowogrodzki said: “When he was stopped by the police he completely panicked and gave some details that were incorrect.” The dad-of-three was about to start a masters degree in mechanical engineering, the solicitor added.

Magistrates ordered Njara to do 120 hours of unpaid work and banned him from driving for 12 months.

He must pay £85 costs and a victim surcharge of £122.