MAGISTRATES spared a South Ockendon resident from losing his driving licence when they heard he would face 'exceptional hardship'.

Trevor William Gerrard, 55, of Buckles Lane, appeared before Basildon magistrates and faced two charges of failing to tell police police who had been driving a car he was responsible for in which an offence was alleged to have been committed.

He was found guilty of both.

For the first offence he received six point penalty and was fined £250 and ordered to pay a £30 surcharge.

He then faced a second charge of failing to inform police about the driver of his vehicle, a Mercedes Cita van, and the subsequent six points would have meant he was banned under the totting up procedure.

However, when magistrates heard that the self-employed courier would not be able to work if he lost his licence, which would impact on his family they decreed that to be 'exceptional hardship', so he was fined £250 and though the points go on his licence, he can still drive.

AT the same court a Grays man who was found guilty of a number of separate offences, did lose his licence for six months.

Junior Rolle, 36, of Grangewick Road, Grays, pleased not guilty to five separate charges of failing to tell police who was the driver of a vehicle in which offences had allegedly been committed.

He was found guilty of them all and in total was fined £500 with £100 costs and a £30 surcharge and the total of 30 penalty points he accrued meant he was banned for six months.

A CORRINGHAM resident, Ferhat Kapoglu, 31 of Crawley Close and who is a Turkish national, walked unpunished from Basildon Magistrates' Court after the prosecution service offered no evidence against him.

He that been accused of driving under the influence of a controlled drug, but pleaded not guilty and the court ruled in his favour.

And he was awarded his legal costs.

GAVIN Fitz-Andrews, 56, of Linnet Way, Purfleet, is another in a long list of borough residents to fall foul of the 50mph speed limit on the A13 close to the North Stifford interchange.

He admitted travelling at 60mph, ten miles over the limit, and was fined £207 and ordered to pay a surcharge and costs totalling £135. He received three penalty points.