A banned driver who crashed into a garage has been fined £1,700 and given a new one year ban.

Konrad Jakub Krajewski had completed his previous driving ban from 2018, but had not retaken his test as ordered.

The 35-year-old claimed that he had been told at the Post Office that he could drive on his Polish licence after his ban had expired.

In court, he admitted driving while disqualified and having no insurance.

Deputy High Bailiff Rachael Braidwood also ordered him to pay £50 prosecution costs and he must still take an extended driving test at the end of his new one year ban.

Prosecuting advocate Sara-Jayne Dodge told the court that Krajewski called the police himself on May 19, just after 1am.

He had crashed his Vauxhall Astra into a garage at St Mary’s Court in Hill Street in Douglas, and told police he may have fallen asleep at the wheel, as he had just finished a long shift at work.

He produced a Polish driving licence and checks showed that he was still under a driving ban in-force between2018 and 2023, due to still not having taken the required extended test after it had ended.

During a police interview, Krajewski told officers that he couldn’t remember the crash but recalled feeling faint.

He said that he was not a full resident of the Isle of Man, and that he had been to the Post Office and showed his Polish licence to ask if he could use it after his ban ended.

He claimed that he had been told he could. There is no reciprocal agreement with Poland so bans issued on the island would not apply there.

A probation report said that Krajewski, who lives at Hampton Farm in Douglas, runs his own business and had been under a great deal of stress.

He was said to move between the island and Poland, as he has property in his homeland.

The report said that Krajewski had reiterated his claim that he had been told by the Post Office that he could now drive using his Polish licence, and that it had therefore been a misunderstanding rather than a deliberate act.

Defence advocate Helen Lobb said that her client had won back his licence early in 2023, but had not been legally represented at that time, so he may have been unclear about the retake order.

Ms Lobb said that the defendant had been driving in Poland and had since started the process of applying for a licence in the Isle of Man.

Deputy High Bailiff Ms Braidwood said that she had taken into account that the offence was not committed during the operational period of the disqualification, but added: ‘It would have been made clear at the restoration of your licence that you needed to take the extended test.’

Krajewski will pay all amounts at a rate of £100 per month.