Caught driving two months after ban

Lauren Coppen, of Kilwich Close, Bognor Regis, admitted getting behind the wheel of a Citroen C3 just months into a six-month driving ban at Chichester Magistrates Court.

The 22-year-old was given the ban in April this year after being convicted of driving without due care and attention after she was involved in a crash with a motorcycle in March last year.

The motorcyclist, Jason Harding, died as a result of the collision in Walberton.

Prosecutor Gaynor Byng told the court the mother-of-one was spotted driving again at 8am on July 23 by police officers, who followed her to Yapton Road in Chichester. 'She admitted to officers she was disqualified until October this year but said she had an appeal going on,' Miss Byng said. 'The officers checked this and found that this appeal had been stopped in June.'

Coppen, who is six weeks pregnant, also admitted having no insurance. Magistrates decided to wait for a pre sentence report before sentencing Coppen, and warned her a jail term was possible.