A 19-year-old was having a "bad day" when he was caught by Police driving while disqualified and failing to stop at a traffic sign, a court heard.

Sandy Benevides, of Pembroke, admitted in Magistrates' Court to failing to stop at a stop sign on Washington Street, Hamilton, on February 5 and being disqualified from driving.

Benevides pleaded guilty to both offences, but explained that he was not in the right mindset when they happened. He said: "I was having a bad day and was hot headed. I had lost my job that day and everything was piling on top."

Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner, however, was not impressed with his answer and questioned whether Benevides thought it was acceptable to ride without a licence.

He said: "You really think that's an excuse? What you really mean is you don't care about the court. That's what you mean by having a bad day.

"What if I had a bad day and did whatever I felt like doing? I am sure it's not a case of just getting hot headed and getting on your bike.

"If you have a second case of driving while disqualified it means you are going to Westgate."

Mr. Warner then fined Benevides $500, awarded him ten demerit points and disqualified him from driving all vehicles for two years.