driving without ins would be classed as MT. parking tickets and possibly speeding points would not, but it's a very grey area.
I had a drunken night as a 21yr old and was arrested along with a friend, basically for failing to 'move along' when told to do so. Silly incident, day off work for court and a £40 fine.
when I decided to take the kids to Florida I didnt want to run the risk of being refused, even though deep down I knew the odds of that were very slim indeed. Silly offence, and a long time ago.
So, I applied for a visa. Took paperwork along to show I was employed, had a mortgage and was a responsible family man now. Took around 2 months to get the embassy intvw date, which gave me time to get the CRB etc done. (bit hard to get the larger size visa pic done as most places dont take them). At the embassy it's a 30-60min wait outside in the street, then another 30mins to wait to hand your forms over. After that, it was another hour to get called for the 'interview'. Loads of post office types windows...guess who got called to the one with the blocked off partition :)
The embassy official was really nice and friendly, aksed me about the incident, smiled (prob cause it was so stupid and petty - akin to jaywalking), asked what I did for a living and reason for visit, then told me there and then she'd approve my application. Got the visa 7-10 days later.
It can be a stressful time, and many just go and chance it without the visa. As your brothers already applid he'll be on the list of those refused previously. In his shoes, I'd apply again, now, and take as much paperwork as poss to show he's behaved since the last time. work reference etc all helps. They want to protect their shores, but if he can prove he's not a 'risk' then he has a good chance of being given a visa. It's usually drugs and those given a prison sentence that get instant refusal every time.