Man banned from roads at Portsmouth court after “forgoing all common sense” and loading sofa on soft-top car

Matthew Dummer, 34, repeatedly ignored his warnings after piling several things on top of his soft-top vehicle. He decided to go to Portsmouth Crown Court for trial after being caught driving with furniture and a mattress on his black Renault coupe in April 2021.

PC Tom Van Der Wee, of Sussex Police, spoke after Dummer appeared in court. He said: “It should be obvious to any competent driver just how ridiculous it is carrying a load such as this on a soft top car.

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“By forgoing all common sense and ignoring my warning, he put other road users at significant risk.” The officer warned Dummer about the safety risks after spotting the car parked outside his house in Stedham, West Sussex.

Despite the caution, he was seen driving along the A286 in Singleton with the debris on the roof. Dummer was handed a notice of intended prosecution (NIP) for dangerous driving.

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He was found guilty at a sentencing hearing on July 6 and slapped with a one year driving ban, 60 hours of unpaid work and a £95 charge to cover court costs. PC Van Der Wee added: “A vehicle and its load are subjected to a number of forces when in motion.

"Had this particular load have come loose and struck a pedestrian, cyclist or indeed any other road user, we would almost certainly have been dealing with a fatality.

“Dummer must now re-do his driving test and will inevitably face higher insurance premiums as a result of this disqualification.”