Mr Fitzpatrick had appeared before Eden Local Court on September 8 for driving with illicit drugs in his system and driving while disqualified.

He had already been disqualified from driving for 12 months in September 2020 and was facing an additional six months starting from September 8, 2021.

However, Bega Local Court this week heard that Mr Fitzpatrick was then stopped by police on September 28 for driving an unregistered, uninsured vehicle in Bega and was sentenced to another 12 months disqualification, to commence December 9.

Just three days later, on October 1, the man was again stopped by police after going through the Merimbula McDonald's drive through where he admitted to driving without a licence.

Then on November 3 police saw him driving in Eden before pulling into a park. At the time he was also given two infringement notices for not removing the key from the ignition and not locking or securing the door.

On December 4 just after midnight, Mr Fitzpatrick was pulled over for a breath test. On December 7 he was again stopped by police. At this point the man was disqualified for driving until December 9, 2022.

A court date was set for December 8 at Eden Court, but he failed to attend.

An arrest warrant was issued and Mr Fitzpatrick was arrested the following day, appearing in Bega Local Court on December 14.

He appeared via audio-visual link from Silverwater Correctional Complex. His legal representative said he had turned up to the wrong court the week prior but had now "had a taste" of jail and was ready to leave it behind.

The court heard Mr Fitzpatrick had been working in the Northern Territory before, "falling into the wrong crowd" after his return to the Bega Valley. His legal representative said he had no matters on his NT record and no convictions for the last 10 years.

His family also appeared in court to support him and the solicitor said their support made him a good candidate for an Intensive Corrections Order to be served in the community.

Mr Fitzpatrick was assessed as suitable for community service by a Community Corrections Officer in court on the day.

Magistrate Doug Dick said that if he were to impose a community sentence, he would have to have, "regard for the protection of the community".

"If you drive again while being disqualified, you will be looking at full-time jail," he said.

"If you end up behind bars, you can't blame anybody but yourself," said the magistrate.

Mr Fitzpatrick was disqualified for driving until 2024, with the option of applying to the court to have the sentenced shortened after two years with a clean record.

He was given an aggregate sentence for six months and an Intensive Corrections Order for 18 months with 350 hours of community service.

The man must also abstain from drugs and attend relevant counselling services.

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