A banned driver who caused a three-vehicle smash on his motorcycle was found by police to have a counterfeit driver’s licence.
Tomasz Gostrowski, 50, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted overtaking on a blind stretch of road and causing a crash involving his bike and cars from either lane on the B997 Bridge of Don to Dyce road.
When officers arrived they found Gostrowski badly injured but also discovered he was banned from driving.
He then handed them a Polish driving licence which, when checked with the Home Office, was found to be fake.
His solicitor told the court that Gostrowski had been the victim of a scam that promised to reinstate his licence for a fee.
Gostrowski was one month away from the end of his driving ban when the crash occurred.
Accused suffered ‘significant injuries’ from crash
Fiscal depute Tom Procter told the court that around 4.50pm on April 19 last year Gostrowski was driving his Suzuki GSX-R motorbike when he decided to overtake the car in front of him.
“However, there were blind spots and undulations in the road,” Mr Procter said.
“Whilst performing the manoeuvre there was a motor vehicle coming in the opposing direction, which led to the car travelling in the same direction as the accused braking significantly to let the motorcycle return to the right side of the road.
“Unfortunately this was not possible and the motorcycle collided with both the other vehicles involved.
“He subsequently came off his motorcycle and sustained significant injuries.”
Gostrowski, a trained joiner, was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for treatment and suffered a fractured leg, collapsed lung and numerous rib fractures.
Once he had been discharged from the hospital, police visited Gostrowski who produced a document that he claimed was his Polish driving licence.
However, officers suspected it might be a counterfeit licence.
It was investigated by the UK Home office who ultimately confirmed it to be fake.
Gostrowski pleaded guilty to one charge of dangerous driving and causing a collision, one charge of driving without a licence and another charge of attempting to deceive police officers with a counterfeit driving licence.
Solicitor – it ‘clearly wasn’t a real licence’
Defence agent Graham Morrison told the court that Gostrowski was in the hospital for a period of three weeks and had to have several operations following the crash.
However, he claimed that his client had been “scammed” and was not aware the licence was fake when he handed it over to the police.
“There’s a story behind the licence,” Mr Morrison said.
“As I understand it, he’d received an email from someone in Poland saying he could get his licence back early if he gave them £700.
“He did that and the thing he got back clearly wasn’t a real licence – he had been scammed.”
Sheriff Andrew Miller told Gostrowski: “I accept you were the seriously injured party here, albeit that resulted from the admittedly dangerous riding of your motorcycle.
“The circumstances are clearly somewhat unusual, so I’m going to proceed with information provided to me by your solicitor.”
Sheriff Miller disqualified Gostrowski, of Ardlair Terrace, Dyce, Aberdeen, from driving for 18 months and fined him £470.
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