A Chinese asylum seeker who failed to re-take his driving test after being banned eight years ago, found himself in hot water this week after being caught behind the wheel.

Kingston Magistrates’ Court heard on Tuesday, February 17, that Yung Heak Lee, of Consfield Avenue, New Malden, had been banned from driving for six months by Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court in 2001 but had never taken a new test, despite that being a requirement of the ban.

In a routine stop in Kingston Bypass on December 3 last year, police caught Lee behind the wheel of his Peugeot 406 and a check of the police national computer confirmed Lee was only using a provisional licence and had never re-taken his test.

Speaking through a Mandarin interpreter, Lee, 56, admitted driving while disqualified and driving without insurance but said he was convinced after the six month disqualification period had ended in 2001, he could drive again on his provisional licence.

Magistrates imposed a new ban disqualifying Lee from driving for 12 months and fined him £685.