Courts in Moray: Elgin driver John Dunnigan jailed after defying road ban for 25th time
A disqualified driver has been jailed after being caught defying a road ban for the 24th and 25th time.
John Dunnigan was already banned for life when police spotted him behind the wheel in Elgin.
The town's sheriff court heard that the 41-year-old had moved up to Moray for a "fresh start".
However, at about 3pm on June 10, a police patrol saw Dunnigan driving along Lesmurdie Road and Woodside Terrace.
Officers subsequently stopped the car and established that he didn't have a licence or any insurance.
Less than a fortnight later, at about 3pm on June 23, Dunnigan was spotted by police with another vehicle which was parked up on Duff Place.
This was not insured either.
Defence solicitor Stephen Carty stated that on the date of the first offence his client had been going to a family funeral in Dundee.
The lawyer said: "It had been agreed that his friend would do the driving to Dundee. Mr Dunnigan was driving the car a short way to his friend's.
"He does acknowledge that this was very foolhardy, given his record."
In relation to the second offence, Mr Carty stated that his client had been working upon a vehicle which he'd only recently bought.
This work, said the lawyer, had been taking place upon private land at Duff Place.
However, Dunnigan had then driven the car a short way along the road while moving it.
It was stated in court that Dunnigan had got himself into "a considerable amount of trouble" when he had lived in Tayside.
Talking about his move to Moray, Mr Carty added: "He's keen to make a fresh start for himself and his family.
"He has a very settled family situation and the move had been going well until these offences."
Dunnigan's address was given in court papers as Jamieson Drive, Elgin.
However he appeared at the town's sheriff court yesterday via a video link from Peterhead Prison where he was on remand.
He pleaded guilty to two charges of driving while disqualified and another two of driving uninsured vehicles.
The court heard that Dunnigan had already spent several weeks in custody.
Sheriff Peter Grant-Hutchison sentenced him to a further four months in prison.
Dunnigan was jailed for almost two years at Dundee Sheriff Court in 2015 after he was caught flouting his road ban for the 23rd time.
His lawyer at that hearing admitted that she had "never seen someone with that bad a record for driving while disqualified".
