A MAN avoided a driving ban after being caught on his mobile phone.

Crawley Magistrates Court fined 43-year-old Edward Baker £50 after he pleaded guilty to using a mobile phone while driving on Preston Road in Brighton in May last year.

Baker, of Blithdale Road, London, was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £34 and costs of £110.

His driving licence was endorsed with six penalty points after magistrates learned of mitigating circumstances.

These included the effect a disqualification would have on a labourer the defendant is supporting through his qualifications; his mother in terms of the assistance he provides to her, and his children in terms of the maintenance payments and the ability of the defendant to pursue access. There was no separate penalty after Baker pleaded guilty to an offence of not wearing a seat belt, court documents show.

READ MORE: Two men identified in connection with rape in Crawley