A 'MINDLESS' driver was caught behind the wheel with both hands bound with cable ties.

James John Hayter, who is also known as James Manuel, told astonished police his friend had tied his wrists "for a laugh" after he was stopped on the evening of June 22 2018.

The defendant, 22, was behind the wheel of a blue Volkswagen Polo which was seen to pull out of the Co-op car park and into Bay Road, Gillingham.

Officers ordered the vehicle to stop and realised Hayter, of Claremont Avenue, Gillingham, was driving the car with both wrists bound together through the steering wheel.

He was also not insured to drive the Polo, which belongs to his parents.

Hayter admitted dangerous driving and driving without insurance. He appeared at Weymouth Magistrates' Court on Wednesday and was sentenced to 170 hours of unpaid work and a £420 fine, as well as a 12-month driving ban.

Sergeant Mark Farrow, of Dorset Police's No Excuse team, said: “James Hayter’s actions that day were foolish and reckless. It is nothing but sheer luck that this mindless prank did not lead to a collision or someone getting injured."