Andrew Lees, a 47-year-old IT consultant from Sale, was arrested in February while driving his wife's Kia Sportage near their home. He was breathalysed twice and placed in a police van despite protesting his innocence. He then spent 16 hours in a police cell, 'terrified' and 'crying inside' as officers 'would not listen'.
How the error occurred
The arrest stemmed from a clerical error that wrongly added 19 endorsement points to his DVLA record, showing him as a disqualified driver. The offences belonged to another person and had been mistakenly copied onto his file. The Single Justice Service had sent him a letter in November 2025, informing him of a ban from a court in Cumbria, though he had never been there.
Lees said he tried to resolve the issue himself through emails, letters, and calls to the DVLA, the Cumbrian Magistrate's Court, and the Single Justice Service, but got no response. He said: “I absolutely knew those points were not mine. I thought it was just an admin error that would be easily cleared up. But, after repeated emails, letters and calls to the DVLA, to the Cumbrian Magistrate’s Court and to the Single Justice Service, I had no resolution. It was clearly a mistake, so I genuinely thought it would be ok to drive.”
Arrest and aftermath
After his release, he faced a four-month driving ban and a court date in June. The ordeal affected his family, including his two daughters aged nine and five. His family instructed Olliers Solicitors, and motoring solicitor Austin Anderson-Brettell discovered that offences by another defendant had been assigned to Lees' licence number.
Despite informing the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), they did not immediately drop the case. Anderson-Brettell said: "It beggars belief that the case got this far. It should not have needed a legal professional to make it right. This could have been rectified so easily." He added that the justice system 'has significant flaws that cannot be ignored' and that allowing cases to be determined behind closed doors 'at times risks undermining public confidence in the administration of justice'.
Case dropped and correction promised
The CPS dropped the case the day before it was due in court. Lees said: “The relief when I got the call from Austin was amazing. I immediately took two days off work and just drove. I drove to Wales and Scotland and enjoyed the freedom to finally get behind the wheel again. I can’t thank Austin and Olliers enough for the reassurance and care that they provided in an incredibly stressful time. Their calm professionalism got me through this ordeal.”
His driving record is expected to be fully corrected, with the wrongly attributed points removed by the end of July. However, his wife's car remains impounded by Greater Manchester Police. A police spokesperson said: "Officers acting on good faith with incorrect information from a clerical error made the arrest of a man in relation to a driving offence. Once this error was rectified, the matter was discontinued and the crime closed. The car has since been passed back to a third party pending final release."
