A driver who racked up $63,000 in fines after being caught multiple times by the electronic vehicle registration (EVR) system was back in court again this week.

Carlos Simas appeared before Magistrates' Court on Wednesday where he admitted driving without a licence.

Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner fined him $100 for the offence, before telling him: "You have got a whole number of unpaid fines."

Simas, 28, said: "I had two months to pay those fines and I couldn't afford to pay them. I pay $2,000 rent and I also have a lot of bills to pay."

The court listing for the day stated that Simas had received fines for 78 separate offences.

Mr. Warner said Simas owed $17,000 and asked: "What have you paid so far?" Simas admitted: "I have not paid nothing. I thought I had to pay it all at one time. All I would like is a payment plan."

Mr. Warner told him he must pay $1,000 immediately and the balance before February 20. "If by February 20 you haven't paid the balance, you will come back to court and let me see how you are doing and satisfy me that you are making some attempt to pay and I will act accordingly."

It was reported in 2008 that Simas, from Pembroke, notched up $63,000 in fines after driving his unlicensed and uninsured car through the new EVR system 36 times.

At the time, his fine was the largest following the implementation of the system in July 2008 to snare unlicensed and uninsured motorists.

Another driver, Richard Cox, complained about EVR and successfully got his $19,500 fine reduced to a $4,125 fine.

The Court of Appeal later branded the new system unfair and the Traffic Offence Penalties Act was changed at the end of last year so that motorists repeatedly going through EVR cameras no longer build up huge fines. The reason Simas now owes only $17,000 was not revealed in court and it has not been possible to find out since.