Banned driver caught behind wheel in Corby Old Village

A 32-year-old man has been jailed for eight weeks after being caught driving behind the wheel despite being disqualified.

Northamptonshire Police’s road policing team spotted the white Ford Transit being driven by John Paul Philp at about 9.40am on Saturday (June 14).

PC Harrison Beverley followed the van from The Jamb in Corby Old Village to nearby Crucible Road, where he witnessed Philp getting out of the driver’s door.

Routine roadside checks confirmed that in addition to the van having no insurance, Philp was also disqualified from driving for 24 months after being sentenced at Northampton Crown Court in February 2024 for dangerous driving.

Philp, of Chelveston Drive in Corby, was arrested and subsequently charged with driving while disqualified and driving with no valid third-party insurance.

On Monday, June 16, he pleaded guilty to both offences at Northampton Magistrates’ Court and was sentenced to eight weeks in prison. He was also disqualified from driving for 12 months and ordered to pay £154 victim surcharge and £85 court costs.

PC Beverley, of the Roads Policing Team, said: “John Paul Philp has a history of driving while disqualified, showing a complete disregard for the law, and I am pleased he has been dealt with robustly by the courts.

“We have a duty to protect law-abiding road users from those who have been caught flouting the law, having previously been sentenced for traffic-related offences, and we will take action against anyone who fails to comply with a court order.

“Reducing the number of people who are killed or seriously injured on the county’s roads continues to be a priority for our team, and so I am pleased that the courts have helped to remove another irresponsible and illegal driver from our roads.”

Tragically in 2024, 31 people never returned home safely to their loved ones following a collision in Northamptonshire and 243 required urgent medical assistance for serious or life-changing injuries.