An Afghan national has been spared a driving ban as he would not be able to support his family in the Taliban-controlled country if he was forbidden from the roads. 

The 34-year-old from Reading, who we are choosing not to name, was caught driving a Toyota without insurance on February 24, 2021 in Surrey. 

This offence added six points to his licence, meaning he had accumulated enough to earn a totting disqualification. 

But the Reading man appeared in court earlier this week to argue his case against a driving ban. 

Lavender Hill magistrates agreed with the 34-year-old’s case for mitigating circumstances. 

A court file read: “No totting disqualification. Exceptional hardship would be caused to his family that lives in Afghanistan and depend on his salary. 

“If he loses his license he would also lose his job and would be unable to provide for them for six months.”

Instead, the Reading man was fined £150 and made to pay £184 in court costs. 

He appeared at Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, August 17. 

Hardline Islamist group The Taliban retook control of Afghanistan in 2021, 20 years after being removed from power by a United States-led coalition. 

According to the BBC, “following the group's return to power, Afghanistan's economy imploded, leaving a huge portion of the population struggling to find enough money to eat and to access other essentials.”