11 Jul 2018

Tahiti man jailed for driving a stolen car for a year

10:09 am on 11 July 2018

A 45-year-old man in French Polynesia has been jailed for driving a stolen car without a driver's licence for a year.

Radio1 reports that he was caught after a minor incident in a parking lot.

When insurance companies were contacted it became obvious that there were two identical vehicles with the same licence plates in circulation.

Police found the slightly damaged stolen car parked near their station.

In court, it was revealed that the man had taken the car last year as its keys were still in the ignition and then forged a licence plate to match an identical car.

The man, who has had 15 previous convictions for theft, has been given a one-year prison term of which four months are suspended.

He has also been ordered to pay $US 600 to the person whose licence plate he had forged.