Mansfield man risked prison in mercy dash for grandma

A Mansfield man risked a prison sentence when he ignored a ban and drove to aid his grandmother after she fell while shopping, a court heard.
Mansfield Magistrates CourtMansfield Magistrates Court
Mansfield Magistrates Court

Shane Betteridge loaded a mobility scooter into a car but was stopped by police, following a tip-off, on Quarry Lane, on December 22.

Betteridge, 33, of Birkland Street, admitted driving while disqualified and without insurance, when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Friday.

Probation officer Tracey Jefferson said: “He had received a phone call from a colleague that his 86-year-old grandma had a fall while out shopping in Sutton.

“He put the mobility scooter in the back of the car. He tells me at this time all he could think of was seeing her.

“He was panicking that something dreadful was going to happen to his grandma.

“Stepping back he knows that all he should have done is phone a colleague.He acts first and thinks afterwards and tells me he would like some support for this.

“If his grandmother was to pass away while he was in custody he says that would have a massively detrimental impact on his mental health because that is what happened to his grandfather.”

She said he had a “hefty record in terms of custodial sentences”, but until December he had been out of trouble for “quite a few years.”

Betteridge had a series of mental health problems, including depression, and bi-polar disorder, but was now receiving the proper medication.

He was given a 12 month community order, with ten days of a rehabilitation activity requirement. He was banned from for 16 months, starting from today.

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