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# Repeat offender, 20, given suspended prison sentence and extended disqualification for driving while banned again
- URL: https://www.ipswich.co.uk/repeat-offender-thomas-gillingham-given-suspended-prison-sentence-and-extended-ban/
- Published: 2024-11-18T12:09:54.000Z
- Updated: 2026-03-16T15:30:04.000Z
- Description: An Ipswich man banned from driving until 2027 has had his disqualification extended by more than four years after being caught behind the wheel again. Thomas Gillingham, 20, was given a suspended prison sentence at Ipswich Magistrates Court.
- Author: Oliver Rouane-Williams
- Tags: News, Courts, Crime, #article, Suffolk Constabulary, Ipswich Magistrates Court, #Import 2026-03-16 14:46

**Why it matters:** Driving while disqualified puts other road users at risk and shows contempt for court orders designed to keep dangerous drivers off the roads.

**The details:** Gillingham, of Coleridge Road in Ipswich, was spotted driving a BMW while banned on Cumberland Street in Woodbridge at 20:30 on Tuesday 24 September.

- He received a 22-week jail sentence, suspended for 24 months.
- His driving ban has been extended by 54 months.
- He had been disqualified until April 2027 under a previous ban imposed in April 2024.

**What they're saying:** PC Tom Ives from Roads Policing said: "This conviction lets people know that driving whilst disqualified is not a matter which is taken lightly, particularly for repeat offenders like Gillingham."

He added: "People are disqualified from driving as their manner of, or ability to drive, does not meet the required standards and therefore they should not be allowed on the road – as such those who chose to drive whilst disqualified, pose a risk to other road users."

**The bottom line:** Suffolk Police say they are continuing efforts to ensure disqualified drivers are kept off the county's roads.

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