THE former owner of a Colchester cab company has been banned from the road for a series of driving offences.

John Moss, 44, of Mill Road, Colchester, admitted five offences when he appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court.

He was disqualified from driving for six months, ordered to pay £785 and given a 90-day suspended prison sentence.

Moss also faces a bankruptcy hearing brought by the Inland Revenue for £72,000, the court heard.

Sharon Hall, prosecuting, said Moss had been convicted in his absence of several driving offences, including failing to provide information, driving other than in accordance with a licence and driving without insurance for a third time.

The court heard he had outstanding fines for driving offences dating back to 2005 and outstanding fines worth more than £2,500.

Moss has transferred his business to a friend in the last month, the court heard.

Peter Butterfield, mitigating, said Moss is now an operator at a taxi firm he had owned for five years.

He said: “He has been trying to make it profitable but two or three weeks ago he asked someone else to take it on, but he is still employed by the firm.”

Moss was fined £600 and ordered to pay £185 costs.

He now owes £3,416.35 and was ordered to pay back £100 a week or face jail. He was also disqualified from driving for six months.

Moss appeared at a bankruptcy hearing at Chancery Court, in London, yesterday. The hearing was adjourned until May 29.

The Gazette contacted all the major taxi firms in Colchester but was unable to establish who Moss works for.