Norman's must be mellowing in his old age. Just the hanging, Norman, without the drawing and quartering that we'd normally expect you to suggest? ;-)
To actually answer the question:
There is no mandatory requirement for magistrates to impose a driving ban, under the totting up rules, for reaching 12 points. (i.e. a ban is not truly 'automatic'). However, magistrates must impose a ban unless they're presented with a good reason why they should not do so. Any circumstances put before them must be genuinely exceptional to prevent a ban. For example, the fact that someone might lose their job if they're banned from driving is usually not regarded as sufficient grounds for avoiding a ban. If, however, the motorist could show that they would be unable to visit their terminally ill child, in hospital, if a ban was imposed, that might be regarded as sufficient grounds for not imposing a ban.
In practice, your son's chances of avoiding a ban are probably about nil.
Chris