Seven drivers from the North East have been in court over the last seven days for motoring offences ranging from speeding, driving with a licence and keeping a car without a licence. 

All of the below cases were heard at Teesside Magistrates' Court, which led to fines for the people found guilty of the offences. 

The Northern Echo has pieced together the people who were in the dock at the magistrates court this week. 

All of the cases below were initiated by the DVLA.

Alex Francis Allan, 62, of Amberley Gardens, Newcastle upon Tyne, faced a fine of £660 for keeping an unlicensed vehicle in Whitley Bay.

According to court documents, Allan kept a vehicle, which had an expired licence, on August 9, 2021. 

At Teesside Magistrates' Court on January 25, 2024, in Allan's absence, it was stated that the defendant kept the vehicle contrary to sections 29(1) and (3) of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994.

Alongside the substantial fine, Allan was ordered to pay vehicle excise back duty of £30 and court costs of £120.

James Bridgewater, 30, of Burn Park Road, Houghton Le Spring, was tried in absentia at Teesside Magistrates' Court on January 25.

Bridgewater's vehicle did not meet the insurance requirements of Section 144A of the Road Traffic Act 1988 on September 28, 2022.

Bridgewater, who was not present during the verdict on January 25, was ordered to pay a victim services surcharge of £88 and costs totalling £140, as well as a £448 fine.

Gavin McKenzie, 28, from Hampton Road, North Shields, was found guilty by Teesside Magistrates' Court of keeping an unlicensed vehicle

The precise date of the offence was March 18, 2023, and McKenzie met the court's judgement with a guilty plea on January 25, 2024.

The details of the offence highlight McKenzie had kept the vehicle without renewing the expired licence.

The court handed McKenzie a fine of £492, and ordered him to pay vehicle excise back duty of £147.50 and costs of £90.

Lisa Neilson, 36, of Bolden Lane, South Shields, was accused of not paying £27.12 of back duty demanded for her vehicle.

Her court case went ahead without her presence at Teesside Magistrates Court on January 25.

Neilson had been issued a licence for the vehicle but failed to pay the overdue tax within the specified period, December 21, 2022.

Neilson was proven guilty in her absence by the court on January 25.

She received a fine of £220, as well as being ordered to pay costs of £120.

The court also ordered Neilson to pay the outstanding vehicle tax of £27.12.

Mark Thompson, 24, of Roworth Road, Middlesbrough, was fined for failing to insure his vehicle.

Thompson was the person in whose name the vehicle was registered under the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994.

Thompson pled guilty on January 25 at to the offence that occurred on January 17, 2023.

He was ordered to pay a £146 fine, a £58 victim surcharge, and £110 in costs.

The court imposed a February 28 deadline to pay.

Jack Wilson, 25, from Ashcroft, Bishop Auckland has been fined for keeping an unlicensed vehicle.

Wilson was found guilty in his absence on January 25 at Teesside Magistrates Court for harbouring an unlicensed vehicle in Bishop Auckland on June 16, 2021.

The case came to court following an investigation by the DVLA.

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The court imposed a fine of £220 on Wilson and ordered him to pay vehicle excise back duty amounting to £28.34.

An additional £120 was ordered to cover the legal costs.

Kayli Wilding, 35, of Ash Crescent, Seaham, has been fined for owning an uninsured vehicle.

The court heard that Wilding, 35, was the registered owner of a car, not meeting the legally required insurance standards.

The offence took place on October 14, 2022.

Although Wilding initially pled not guilty on September 8, 2023, she was found guilty on January 26, 2024, despite not being present.

Wilding was ordered to pay a surcharge of £48 to fund victim services plus £140 in legal costs.

A fine of £120 was also imposed, amounting to a total payment of £308.