Anthony Gilbert Cook v Registrar of Approved Driving Instructors

Facts

The appellant, Anthony Gilbert Cook, was an approved driving instructor (ADI) of long standing. On 3 December 2025, while travelling between lessons in his liveried tuition vehicle with no pupil on board, he committed a mobile phone offence (CU80). He accepted a Fixed Penalty Notice and six penalty points were endorsed on his licence. He did not notify the Registrar within the required seven days, and the Registrar learned of the matter from DVLA. After considering the appellant's detailed representations, received on 1 February 2026, the Registrar decided on 26 February 2026 to remove his name from the Register under section 128(2)(e) of the Road Traffic Act 1988, on the basis that he was no longer a fit and proper person. The appellant appealed on 15 March 2026. He said postal problems had delayed key correspondence, that he had paid the penalty in a panic, and that he had been stationary in gridlocked traffic, setting up his hands-free facility to tell his next pupil he would be late. He also said DVLA had notified the Registrar before he had a reasonable chance to do so, and relied on personal and professional pressures, his long unblemished record, the isolated nature of the incident and the impact of removal. He had asked for the appeal to be decided on the papers. It was listed for an oral hearing at the Registrar's request, but the Registrar did not appear.