A banned driver who registered and insured a car in another man’s name has received a suspended sentence.

Lukasz Rygiel, 41, used the details of a driving licence he found in Poland.

Police stopped him in Nar Ouse Way, King's Lynn, on December 16, after following him from the A47 and becoming suspicious.

“The driver identified himself as Daniel Gruzek and he produced a Polish driving licence in that name,” prosecutor Michael Devaney told Lynn Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

“Checks showed that the car was registered and insured in the name of Daniel Gruzek. However, the officers formed the opinion that the driver they were talking to looked nothing like the photo on the driving licence.”

Rygiel, of Birchwood Street, Lynn, again insisted he was providing the correct details but could not produce any other proof od identification.

Sgt Craig Hawkes obtained a photo of Rygiel and finally the driver admitted that he had been lying.

“The defendant said he’d found [the driving licence]. He had then registered his car in the name of Mr Guzek and obtained insurance in that name too,” said Mr Devaney.

The court was told Rygiel had been banned from driving for 15 months in 2012 and for four years in 2018, both for drink-driving.

On Thursday, he pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified on December 16, 2020, making a false statement between May 1, 2017 and December 17, 2020 to obtain insurance, obstructing a police officer and having no insurance.

Charlotte Winchester, mitigating, said Rygiel had been working as warehouse co-ordinator in Elm at the time of the offences and was using the car to commute.

She added: “He looked to try and get work closer to home and also moving closer to his work but this wasn’t possible and that’s the reason for these offences. He found the driving licence when he was on holiday in Poland.”

Rygiel was given 12 weeks’ custody, suspended for 18 months, and a community order with 100 hours’ unpaid work. He also received six penalty points on his licence and was ordered to pay £128 victim surcharge and £50 costs.