A woman with 36 penalty points on her driving licence has been jailed after being caught driving while disqualified for the second time in just over a month.
Amanda Gail Hickling, 61, of Main Road, Cherhill, was sentenced to 10 weeks in prison at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, 22 February, after pleading guilty to driving while disqualified and without insurance. The court heard that Hickling was already disqualified from driving until April 2026 and had recently served a four-week prison sentence for committing the same offence in January.
Hickling was spotted behind the wheel of her Nissan Qashqai on the A4361 at Broad Hinton on Friday afternoon, 21 February, by an on-duty Roads Policing officer. A routine check using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) revealed that her licence carried 24 penalty points and that the vehicle was uninsured.
After being pulled over, Hickling was arrested, charged, and remanded in custody overnight. At her court appearance the following morning, she pleaded guilty to both charges. The magistrates handed down a 10-week custodial sentence and extended her driving disqualification by an additional 18 months. The new offences added 12 more points to her licence, bringing the total to a staggering 36 points.
PC Oliver Venton, who stopped Hickling, expressed disbelief over her repeated offending, stating, “Hickling showed a blatant disregard for the law when she chose to drive her car, knowing full well she had recently been to prison for the same offence. When pulled over, she insisted she was taking the ban seriously and claimed she had simply ‘pushed her luck’ to drive to the shop.”
Hickling’s previous offence occurred on 7 January, when she was caught driving on Westbrook Road in Calne while disqualified. That incident resulted in a four-week prison term, but it appears the punishment did little to deter her.
Wiltshire Police are using this case as a reminder of the dangers posed by disqualified drivers and the importance of community vigilance. PC Venton added, “Disqualified drivers put themselves and others at significant risk. We urge anyone who suspects someone is driving while disqualified or without a valid licence to report it to Wiltshire Police.”
Members of the public can report such incidents by calling 101 or visiting the Wiltshire Police website at Report | Wiltshire Police.
This case highlights the continued efforts of Wiltshire Police to clamp down on driving offences and keep the roads safe for all users.
