A DRIVING instructor has had his registration to teach pupils revoked after being convicted of harassment.

Paul Barrows, who operates Paul’s Driving Academy was was based Leigh, was convicted of two counts of sending a communication conveying a threatening message.

At Basildon Crown Court, last November, he was handed a four-month jail term, suspended for 12 months, and 180 hours of unpaid work. He was also subject to a restraining order and had to pay court costs.

As a result, his application to renew his registration with the Registrar of Approved Driving Instructors has now been refused.

The registrar noted Mr Barrows failed to declare the conviction within seven days which was “a clear breach of the declaration”.

Mr Barrows, who had been a driving instructor for more than 20 years, attempted to appeal the decision and the case was heard before the Transport Tribunal this month.

At the appeal, Mr Barrows claimed it was an “isolated incident” which came about after he started teaching a male pupil who had not paid him the right money for his lessons. He told the panel the pupil had begun harassing him by making rude gestures and abusive telephone calls.

The panel heard Mr Barrows was “put in fear” and he added: “I guess I had reached breaking point with this individual’s harassment towards me and two phone calls were made expressing my annoyance with his continued harassment actions towards me and my family. It is on the basis of these two phone calls that I was convicted.”

However, the registrar felt the court’s decision to hand him a suspended prison sentence was indicative of the serious nature of his offending and therefore deemed he was not a “fit and proper person”. The registrar stated: “Anyone who is an ADI is expected to have standards of driving and behaviour above that of the ordinary motorist.”

As a result, the panel dismissed his appeal stating: “In our view the appellant has demonstrated a lax and dismissive attitude to the offence which occurred.”

NB: While Google states Mr Barrows' business is based in Grove Hill, Leigh this is no longer accurate and the family who now live there have requested we make this clear.