A 30-year-old car dealer caught driving without insurance four times in two weeks despite paying out £3,500 in premiums has been given a jail sentence.

Roger Martin O’Grady, of Chestnut Grove, Killywillin, Bellanaleck, was sentenced to three months in prison, suspended for 12 months, fined £425 and banned from driving for six months.

He is already banned from driving until January 27, next year, as a result of his previous convictions so the disqualification will not interfere with him getting his licence back on that date.

He appeared at Fermanagh Court and admitted driving while using a mobile phone, without insurance, “L” plates and the supervision of a qualified driver.

A prosecutor explained that at approximately 10.40am on October 21, last year, police saw O’Grady talking on a mobile phone while driving a black Range Rover along Belmore Street in Enniskillen. The officers stopped to speak to him at a car park on the town’s Wellington Road and he told them: “I’m sorry.” The court heard that O’Grady was issued with a fixed penalty ticket and given seven days to produce his driving documents for examination by the police. When he failed to do so it was discovered that he was not insured and had a provisional licence and had therefore been driving without “L” plates and supervision.

Defence solicitor Michael Fahy said O’Grady had two policies of insurance to ensure he was adequately covered. One was in relation to his employment as a car dealer and cost him £2,500 a year. The other was a domestic policy costing £1,000 a year.

District Judge Nigel Broderick asked: “How did he think he was insured if he was an ‘L’ driver driving unaccompanied?” Mr. Fahy said O’Grady was a native of the Republic of Ireland where people can drive on a provisional licence without supervision.

The District Judge said O’Grady should have known the difference in this jurisdiction.

Mr. Fahy said: “He is aware of the situation now.” He said O’Grady passed his driving test on November 20, last year, and there have been no further offences since then.

Pointing out that he was disqualified for a year on January 27, the solicitor added: “He will sit that year out. He will honour that.” He said O’Grady has extensive business interests in Fermanagh, Belfast, the Republic of Ireland and Europe.

“He is most keen to get back on the road and the earliest date is January 27, 2015,” the solicitor explained.

He asked the court not to impose a driving ban that would extend beyond that date.

The District Judge said O’Grady was first detected without insurance on October 15, last year, “and whatever delusion he was under it doesn’t seem to have stopped him driving” as he was caught again on October 21, October 24, and November 1.

Mr. Fahy said: “He appreciates there have been a number of failings on his behalf in that short, two-week window.” The District Judge asked: “When he was stopped by police so many times did the penny not drop that there was something wrong?” Mr. Fahy assured him: “That is the end of the matter: 100 per cent certain, the end of the matter.” The District Judge told O’Grady: “Obviously what concerns me is he number of offences. You should have realised quite quickly that there was something wrong with the insurance.”