Suspended sentence for man caught twice without driving license

A 47-year-old man was handed a suspended sentence after being caught twice driving without a licence since it had been revoked due to accumulating 57 penalty points.

Hamoud Elewi, a Syrian national living in Tarxien, appeared before magistrate Jean Paul Grech on Monday morning, where he was accused of driving without a licence or insurance cover on two separate occasions.

Police inspector Nathan Bugeja explained that on March 2, a sergeant was managing traffic near Paola school when a man driving a Renault entered Triq Ġużé D’Amato in Paola and parked in a parking bay for blue badge holders.

The sergeant approached the driver and spoke to him, and Elewi told the officer he did not hold a licence because it had been revoked.

The sergeant informed Elewi that he could not drive and that criminal charges would be issued against him.

On the morning of March 15, the same sergeant was carrying out a road check on Triq Louis Wettinger in Mellieħa, when the officer noticed a vehicle being driven at high speed.

The sergeant signalled the vehicle to slow down and stop, but instead the driver just slowed down and drove past the road check. 

Two officers got on their motorcycles and stopped the man some metres ahead.

The sergeant recognised Elewi, who this time had two passengers in the vehicle. The officers found that one of the passengers had been overstaying, while the second one had no documents.

The latter got out of the car and fled, but was caught later.

Both passengers were handed over to the migration police after it was also established that the second passenger had been overstaying.

Elewi was arrested.

Bugeja said Elewi last held a valid driving licence in 2023. 

The man’s driving licence has been revoked for the past three years after the man accumulated 57 points on his licence.

The vehicle being used by the accused is registered in his wife's name.

A driving licence is usually revoked if, at any time during any period of 12 months, its holder accumulates 12 penalty points or more. A probationary driving licence is revoked if, during the three-year probationary period, the holder accumulates 12 points or more. 

In court, Elewi pleaded guilty to the charges.

During submissions on punishment, Bugeja deferred to the court. The police inspector highlighted that the man was caught twice driving without a licence, and that the total number of points accumulated had led to the man’s licence being revoked.

Defence lawyer Jason Grima highlighted that there are other vehicles registered in his client’s name but are driven by others.

He also asked for clemency, saying that his client has five children, and when he was caught the first time, Elewi had in fact driven his children to school after missing their van.

After hearing the submissions on punishment, the court noted that while the man had no previous convictions, he disregarded the police warning not to drive again without a licence.

It handed the man a one-year prison term, suspended for two. The court suspended his driving licence for 24 months.

Magistrate Jean Paul Grech presided.

Police inspector Nathan Bugeja prosecuted, while lawyer Jason Grima assisted the accused.