An eagle-eyed police officer caught a motorist in South Yorkshire with false number plates and no insurance

Sheffield Crown Court heard on January 6 how Zak Holland, aged 34, had been driving through Tankersley when he was spotted by a police officer in a BMW vehicle with different front and rear registration plates.

Louise Reevell, prosecuting, said the officer had been on duty in Sheffield when he received information about a vehicle with false plates and as he entered Tankersley, near Barnsley, he saw the BMW.

Mrs Reevell added: "The defendant had pulled into a layby and was in the process of removing the rear number plate and putting it in the boot and the officer spoke to him and was able to see the correct number plates under two false plates on the vehicle.”

Holland, of Witham Town, Boston, who has 49 previous convictions, pleaded guilty to the fraudulent use of a registration plate and to using a vehicle without insurance after the incident on May 15.

The court heard the officer not only caught Holland with false number plates taken from two other vehicles but he also realised the defendant had been trying to insure the vehicle at that time.

Leanne Summers, defending, said Holland – a former DJ – is doing well on a current community order and the probation service stated they have been havng some success with him.

She added the father-of-two has not committed any further offences since May and he has started a business degree at university.

The court heard how a previous judge accepted Holland has been making progress and recently sentenced him to a suspended prison sentence for another matter while these two offences from May were still outstanding.

Judge Michael Slater said he would have taken some persuading to have granted Holland his liberty but the circumstances of the previous judge’s sentencing decision had left him with his hands tied.

Judge Slater sentenced Holland to an 18-month conditional discharge but warned if he reoffends in the next year-and-a-half a full range of sentencing powers could be considered. Holland also had his driving licence endorsed with six points.

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