FIVE drivers from Bridgwater have been sentenced by magistrates after admitting or being found guilty of motoring offences on roads in the south west.
One man has been banned from driving for six months after he was proved guilty of several offences, while four others have received fines and penalty points for speeding.
Their cases were handled under the single justice procedure, which allows people charged with a minor offence to have their cases decided without going to court.
Dennis McGinley
A Bridgwater man has been banned from driving for six months and handed a £1,300 court bill after he was proved guilty of three driving offences.
Dennis McGinley, of Royal Drive, was proved guilty of driving without third-party insurance and using a mobile phone while driving on the M5 near Tiverton on September 17, 2021.
McGinley, 42, was also proved guilty of using a “motor vehicle on a road without a valid test certificate” on the same day and in the same location.
He was proved guilty of each offence under the single justice procedure on May 3, 2022.
He was sentenced by a magistrate in Bodmin, Cornwall, on Monday, June 13.
The magistrate banned McGinley from holding or obtaining a driving licence for six months.
For driving without insurance, he was fined £660 and told to pay a £110 surcharge to fund victim services and £90 in court costs.
He was fined £440 for using a handheld mobile phone while driving.
He received no separate penalty for using a motor vehicle without a valid test certificate.
McGinley has until July 11 to pay his £1,300 court bill.
Luke Andrew O’Neill
A man from Bridgwater has been fined £1,000 after he was caught driving at 56mph on a road with a 30mph speed limit.
Luke Andrew O’Neill, of Rhode Lane, broke the speed limit in a Seat Ibiza car on the A38 Turnpike Road in Axbridge, Somerset, on June 29, 2021.
O’Neill, 22, was proved guilty under the single justice procedure by a magistrate in Taunton on Wednesday, June 15.
He was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay a £100 victim surcharge and £85 in court costs.
He will pay his £1,185 court bill in instalments of £250 a month starting on Wednesday, July 13.
Six penalty points were added to his driving licence.
O’Neill was also proved guilty of driving whilst not wearing a seat belt, for which he received no separate penalty.
William Charles Lonsdale
A van driver from Bridgwater has been fined after exceeding a temporary 40mph speed limit on a North Devon A-road.
William Charles Lonsdale, of Gaunts Road, was caught speeding on the A361 Borner’s Bridge near South Molton on October 30, 2021, in a Vauxhall Vivaro.
Court documents do not disclose the speed he was travelling at.
Lonsdale, 25, admitted the offence under the single justice procedure on Thursday, June 16.
He was fined £366 by a magistrate in Bodmin and ordered to pay £90 in court costs and a £36 victim surcharge, giving him a balance of £492 to pay by July 14.
He was also handed four penalty points.
Court documents say Lonsdale's guilty plea was “taken into account when imposing sentence”.
Michal Grylewicz
A Bridgwater man received a fine and three penalty points after he was clocked at 87mph on the M5 near Sedgemoor Services.
Michal Grylewicz, of Wallington Road, was caught speeding on the motorway between the services and junction 21 (Weston-super-Mare) on November 11, 2021.
Grylewicz, 36, pleaded guilty under the single justice procedure on Tuesday, June 14.
He was fined £169 and must pay £90 in court costs and a £34 victim surcharge.
Court documents say the Bath magistrate considered his guilty plea when sentencing Grylewicz.
He has until August 2 to pay his £293 court bill.
Teresa Cresswell
A woman from Bridgwater has been fined after exceeding a 30mph speed limit on the A372 in Westonzoyland.
Teresa Cresswell, of Elmgrove Close, was recorded driving at 37mph on November 11, 2021.
Cresswell, 57, admitted the offence under the single justice procedure on June 14.
She was fined £200 by a magistrate in Bath and told to pay £90 in court costs and a £34 victim surcharge.
She was also handed three penalty points.
Her guilty plea was considered when she was sentenced.
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