A 33-year-old Delacombe man who has never had a licence and was driving in an unregistered car with false plates had his young family with him at the time, a court has heard.
Christopher McKay, of Leawarra Cresent, pleaded guilty at the Ballarat Magistrates Court on Thursday to the three offences, in addition to a single count of failing to answer bail.
While conceding it was not a good combination, McKay's lawyer told the court there were no aggravating features, such as speeding or alcohol.
He said since the offence McKay had begun taking the appropriate steps to get his licence.
When asked why he missed his court date, the lawyer said McKay suffered from an episode of gout which often meant he was bed-ridden for a month.
Magistrate Johanna Metcalf also asked whether McKay understood a jail term was an option during sentencing, in which he replied yes.
"You have got no right to go near a motor vehicle," she told McKay.
"You had your kids in the car ... if you had an accident it would be a disaster."
Ms Metcalf said she was going to consider placing McKay on a community corrections order, but given the difficulty of his gout she said it would not be practical.
Instead she convicted and fined McKay $1800. His licence was cancelled and he was disqualified from driving for three months.
IN A SEPARATE matter, a 32-year-old man who was caught speeding 31km/h over the legal limit with ice in his system has also been taken off the road.
In November of last year Jeffry Bowen was caught driving at 131km/h in a 100km/h zone on the Sunraysia Highway near Avoca.
When asked by police about a positive oral fluid test, he said he was against using drugs and had a practical joke played on him.
Bowen's lawyer went into more detail, telling the court a friend had spiked his drink.
Earlier this year Bowen was also intercepted by police driving with a suspended licence.
Bowen pleaded guilty to the four charges at the Ballarat Magistrates Court on Thursday.
His lawyer told the court since the offending Bowan had done everything possible to get back on track with his life.
Magistrate Johanna Metcalf placed Bowan on a six-month work only community corrections order with instructions to complete 30 hours of community work.
His licence was also cancelled and he was disqualified from driving for six months.
