Court dodger found hiding in cupboard
9:21pm Friday 6th July 2007 in Your Town By Andy McFarlane
POLICE found a man hiding in a cupboard under the stairs after he failed to turn up at court.
Kenneth Porter, aged 33, of Mobberley Road, Breightmet, had been due to appear before Bolton magistrates for failing to produce a valid driving licence and insurance documents.
Officers conducting a routine check pulled over Porter on Christmas Eve last year but failed to produce his documents at Astley Bridge Police Station within seven days.
He did not appear in court on May 9 and was convicted in his absence of failing to produce his documents and driving without insurance.
A warrant was issued and officers found him hiding on June 21.
Yesterday, (fri) Porter claimed he had been unaware his insurance had been cancelled.
He told Bolton Magistrates Court he had finally produced his insurance documents at the police station yesterday morning, to be told his policy had been cancelled on December 15.
Porter said he had been insured by Budget for around five years, had not received notification the policy had been cancelled and had not checked his bank statements to see whether the direct debit payments had stopped.
He admitted not answering bail and said he had no excuse.
Magistrates fined him £60 for using a vehicle without insurance but said they would not impose points on his licence because Porter had been misled into thinking he had a valid policy. They gave him no separate penalty for failing to produce insurance documents.
The fined him £40 for failing to produce a driving licence, £50 for the bail act offence and costs of £60.
