A DISQUALIFIED driver who was allowed to be in charge of a charity minibus which carried disabled and elderly people throughout Fife was involved in an accident after he dropped old folk off in St Andrews.

Cupar Sheriff Court heard yesterday that Raymond Stewart, of Craigmount, Kirkcaldy, had never been asked for a driving licence before he was allowed to drive the charity-run community transport Mobus vehicle.

Stewart appeared before Sheriff George Evans and admitted that on November 15 last year, in St Andrews, he drove while disqualified and without insurance.

The court was told that a witness who had been behind the bus had seen it stop to allow elderly passengers to get off.

The vehicle had then driven off again, but had collided with a parked car.

Police had been contacted and it had been found that the accused, who had been driving, was disqualified.

He had said to police that he had been on a work placement with Mobus and had driven the bus for about three months.

Defence solicitor Alan Davie said that Stewart had initially been taken on as a handyman for his placement, but had then been asked if he could drive.

He had not revealed, said Mr Davie, that he was banned and no specific checks had been carried out.

Mr Davie said that Stewart felt that he had let down a lot of people, and also realised the potentially serious consequences of what he had done.

Sheriff Evans said that Stewart had put vulnerable people at risk and the offences were serious ones.

He ordered Stewart to carry out 120 hours’ community service and disqualified him for 18 months.

Yesterday the general manager of Mobus, Mary Parry, said that at the time of the offence Stewart had completed his work placement, and had asked to come back as a volunteer.

She said that when his details had first been placed on file he had completed a personnel record that had asked for details about convictions, disqualification, previous procescutions and motoring offences. He had declared that there were none.

At this time, she said, his driving licence number had not been recorded, but when he later came back as a volunteer it has been assumed in the office that the paperwork was in order.

Ms Parry accepted that Mr Stewart’s licence should have been seen by staff, but said that systems were now in place to make sure that the problem could not recur.