A DUMBARTON pensioner who drove for 45 years without a licence before being caught with a fake one has been spared a prison sentence.

Mary Burke had managed to pull the wool over the authorities' eyes since before her children were born in the 1970s.

A court was told the vehicle Burke was driving had been disposed of by her family since she was stopped by police last November.

Burke, 71, appeared for sentencing at the town's sheriff court on Friday after pleading guilty in April to driving without a licence and to possession of a false licence document.

Under the Identity Document Act of 2010, Burke could have been jailed for up to 12 months for possession of the fake licence – but the sheriff presiding over the case decided he could deal with the matter by imposing a fine instead.

Burke's solicitor told the court that his client was battling lung cancer and had no plans to get behind the wheel again.

On her previous appearance the court had heard Burke had been driving since the 1970s and had been given points for speeding in 2002 – but officials at the time didn't realise her licence was fake.

She was only caught when police carrying out roadside spot checks pulled over her Mercedes C-class in Main Street in Renton on November 14 revealed she only had an expired provisional licence.

Sentence was deferred until Friday for a social work report to be prepared.

Driving campaigners said she could easily have been driving legally if she had put as much effort into passing her test as she did into creating a fake document.

At the latest hearing Burke's solicitor, Virgil Crawford, said his client, who lives in a static caravan at Dennystoun Forge, would be prepared to pay a financial penalty, but would not be able to carry out unpaid work because of her health.

Mr Crawford said: “She has no intention of driving now. The car has been disposed of.

“She is in treatment for lung cancer. It's not quite been said that it's terminal. Six months to two years is the likely timescale she has for that.

“She is assessed as being at 'nil' risk of reoffending.”

Sheriff William Gallacher told Burke: “You were utterly wilful in your decision to be driving when you were not entitled to do so.

“You had a document which was clearly false so that you could flout road traffic regulations which exist in order that everybody else is protected.

“It's not open to you to say 'it doesn't apply to me'. This is a very serious matter indeed.”

Burke was admonished, but handed a year-long ban, on the charge of driving without a licence, and fined £700 for possession of a fals driving licence under section 6(1)(a) of the Identity Documents Act 2010.