Nelson Hilden committed his first motoring offence in October 1975 - and was promptly banned from driving.

Since then, he had racked up more than 100 crimes, many of them stealing cars and driving while disqualified.

Now the 53-year-old has been caught stealing and driving again... even though in more than 37 years he has never taken a driving test.

And a judge told him: "You have got to stop driving without insurance and without a licence. You have never even passed a test. Just look at your record... you do it again and again."

Hilden, of Goteley Mere, Kennington, near Ashford, was jailed for 13 months after admitting theft of a laptop and more motoring offences.

James Bilsland, prosecuting, had told Canterbury Crown Court how Hilden had driven to the Devil's Kneading Trough Restaurant in Wye and stolen the computer from a parked car.

The offence in October last year came just a few months after he had been freed early from a six-year sentence for burglary following raids on three cash machines.

Hilden - who had been living in Gallants Lane, East Farleigh, near Maidstone - at the time, had targeted ATMs in vulnerable rural premises in Lyminge, Wye and Lenham.

Again he had used stolen vehicles, which were then used on the ram raids.

"what would happen if you had an accident and of the people who might be injured...” – judge james o'mahony

The court heard he has now made 43 court appearances for 101 offences - many of them taking cars without consent, theft, burglary and more than five driving while disqualified and also without a licence and insurance.

Paul Hogben, defending, said Hilden had been determined to go straight after being freed from the 2009 sentence, but slipped back into his thieving ways after the death of his mother.

But Judge James O'Mahony told him: "Have you got no regard for other people? What would happen if you had an accident and of the people who might be injured. It's about time you reflect on that.

"The time has come to put an end to all this. If you continue to drive while disqualified – and no doubt police will be keeping an eye out for that – you will end up with even more prison sentences."

He jailed Hilden and banned him from driving for another 12 months.