Paul Sleep, of Crofts Mead in Wincanton, Somerset, used his phone while driving a Renault Trucks vehicle on December 22, 2023.
The 55-year-old admitted the offence under the single justice procedure on October 23, 2024 and appeared at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on January 7.
Read more: Why do local newspapers report on court cases?
Read more: Man charged with knifepoint robbery in Amesbury granted bail
Sleep faced a driving ban under the totting-up procedure because this offence meant he had 12 or more points on his licence, but his solicitor argued a disqualification would cause exceptional hardship to his family, including his elderly father.
He was fined £216 and ordered to pay an £86 surcharge to fund victim services and £90 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Sleep’s guilty plea was taken into account by the sentencing magistrates.
Sleep was sentenced by magistrates in Swindon (Image: Dave Cox) Figures from the DVLA, published by The Telegraph in November, show there are more than 10,000 people in England and Wales who have valid driving licences despite amassing 12 points.
Five years earlier, that figure was 8,594.
Defendants must show that a disqualification would cause more than just inconvenience or financial loss to dependents to successfully argue exceptional hardship.