A 49-YEAR-OLD man spent a night in a police cell thanks to a road accident, a three-month hospital stay and a legal mix-up, a court heard yesterday.

Charles Barclay Simpson was at home in Bargate, Richmond, on Tuesday, when police arrived with an arrest warrant for alleged motoring offences. Yesterday, Mr Simpson stood in the dock of Harrogate Magistrates' Court accused of four offences - driving without insurance and test certificate, failing to produce those two documents and his driving licence.

The offences were alleged to have taken place more than a year ago.

An earlier court had dealt with the offences in his absence, convicting him and issuing a warrant for his arrest because a driving ban was being considered.

Geoffrey Rogers, defending, said that the case came about as the result of a road accident involving Mr Simpson on the Knaresborough to Ripley road, at Nidd, on January 30 last year. At the time, police ordered Mr Simpson to produce his driving documents, and then took him to hospital for treatment.

He spent three months in hospital, so was unable to produce his documents within the required time.

He later received a summons but gave it to his solicitors believing they would deal with the matter. He thought it was over until police called at his home and arrested him.

Court chairman Catharine Nickols adjourned the hearing until April 2 to give Mr Simpson time to find the missing documents.

He was given bail.