A taxi driver was fined £960 yesterday for having six untaxed vehicles.
Martin Conde Robert Moore was also ordered by magistrates to pay £150 prosecution costs.
The 43-year-old had admitted the offences during a previous court appearance with the case being adjourned to allow him time to pay the backdated tax and release fees for the seized vehicles.
Moore was said to have since paid the amounts, which were said to have totalled £6,500.
Prosecuting advocate Roger Kane said that Moore had more than 30 previous convictions for similar offences and that deprivation orders had been considered for the latest vehicles.
Mr Kane said: ‘The prosecution are left scratching their heads, asking how do you solve the problem of Martin Moore when it comes to unlicensed vehicles?
‘It’s becoming like Groundhog Day.’
The prosecutor said that during a previous court appearance he had made an application for an Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO) due to the detrimental effect Moore’s parked vehicles were having on his neighbourhood, but Deputy High Bailiff James Brooks had decided against it.
However, Mr Kane said that this could be considered again in future.
We previously reported that, on August 10, police on patrol on Port e Chee Avenue, Douglas, where Moore lives, found a Vauxhall Insignia parked.
The vehicle licence had expired in April 2022.
Moore spoke to police, saying ‘I apologise, it was an oversight’, and the car was subsequently seized.
On August 20, police came across two more vehicles on Saddle Road, a Mercedes Sprinter van and a Mercedes CLK55.
The tax for the Sprinter had expired in November 2021 and the tax for the CLK55 in May 2021.
Moore was again spoken to by police and this time said: ‘Easy convictions, that’s all the constabulary cares about these days.
‘Thank God we are getting a new Chief Constable.’
The two vehicles were subsequently seized.
On October 17, police came across more untaxed vehicles owned by Moore, parked on Port e Chee Avenue.
This time it was a Mercedes with tax expired in August 2022, a Chrysler with tax expired in July 2022, and a Citroen with expired tax in June 2022.
The vehicles were again seized.
Defence advocate Sara-Jayne Dodge said that the number of vehicles Moore owned was due to a business he was considering running.
Ms Dodge said that he had failed to pay the tax due to financial difficulties.
Moore said that he had been unable to work from June to August due to his taxi engine failing.
The advocate said: ‘The prosecution asked how to solve a problem like Martin Moore?
‘He has been petitioning for a number of years for changes to payments of vehicle duty to assist those who struggle.
‘It is his understanding that this is coming into effect.’
Ms Dodge went on to say that Moore had paid £6,500 in backdated tax and vehicle release fees.
‘That is costing him more than taxing the vehicles in the first place,’ said the advocate.
‘This was simply down to him being in a difficult financial situation.
‘Hopefully today will be a wake up call with a future warning of an ASBO.’
Magistrates chair David Christian told Moore: ‘You say you are not showing disrespect for the law, but in all honesty, seeing that you have more than 30 previous similar convictions, it seems you don’t care about the law and feel you’re above it.
‘If you can’t afford road tax you shouldn’t be purchasing vehicles.
‘We are very surprised the vehicles came back to you and have not gone to be crushed.’
Moore told magistrates: ‘I will not be before the court again for these offences.’
He will pay the fine and costs at a rate of £50 per week.