A DISQUALIFIED driver took his mum’s car without asking so he could pick up his girlfriend from hospital after she suffered a miscarriage.

Carl Francis of Crickley Drive, Warndon, Worcester, ignored a driving ban to pick up his girlfriend from the city’s Worcestershire Royal Hospital, a court was told.

The 38-year-old admitted driving whilst disqualified, using a motor vehicle without third party insurance and taking a car without consent when he appeared before Worcester magistrates on Tuesday.

Matt Dodson, prosecuting, said Francis was caught behind the wheel of his mum’s red Ford Ka on Tuesday, July 18, at 3.50am while officers were on patrol in Windermere Drive in Warndon.

Francis was approaching the officers from the direction of Tolladine Road when they pulled him over after he had picked up his girlfriend.

He said: “The car belonged to his mother and she didn’t know it had been taken as she was still asleep in the flat.

“She later confirmed she had not given him permission to use the car.”

Mr Dodson said Francis had three convictions for driving whilst disqualified on his record, two from 2007 and one from 2009.

His 30-month disqualification was not scheduled to expire until August this year.

Gary Harper, defending, said Francis had been in the thrall of a heroin addiction but, after he had managed to stay off the drug for three years, had begun using drugs again.

However, he was now getting his life back on track.

Mr Harper said: “His partner had been taken to hospital on the evening before and she had had a miscarriage.

“He had a phone call asking him to pick her up. He didn’t have any money to get a taxi and public transport doesn’t operate during those times and his mother was asleep.

“His only purpose was to pick up his partner. It wasn’t like he was going on a jolly or going to the fish and chip shop.

“He was doing something useful, collecting her from the hospital after she had a torrid time there.”

Magistrates opted to defer sentence until Wednesday, May 4, and conditions of his bail were not to reoffend and to comply with court orders.

• Your Worcester News reporter was the only member of the press in court.