A motorist who tried blaming an innocent man for his speeding offences after getting hold of his lost driving licence has been jailed for lying to police.
Mattansar Mahmood was clocked going 41mph in a 30-zone in Sandwell Road, Handsworth, on 19 November 2014 and again in Soho Way on 6 March last year when he activated a roadside camera travelling at 48mph.
On both occasions unemployed Mahmood, from Marshall Street in Smethwick, completed prosecution paperwork suggesting a 52-year-old Polish man from Dudley was behind the wheel at the time.
West Midlands Police’s Camera Enforcement Unit investigated when the blameless driver - who misplaced his licence on 25 October 2014 - informed police of the loss and gave a statement denying any knowledge of the offences.
Examination of speed camera images revealed the driver to be a large Asian man - distinctly different from the Polish man’s appearance - and checks on DVLA systems showed a likeness to Mahmood’s driving licence photograph.
The 32-year-old was arrested from his home address on June 3 last year and, though he admitted being the driver, denied filling out the Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) forms with false information.
However, West Midlands Police forensics unit examined the original NIP forms and retrieved DNA evidence proving Mahmood had handled the documents.
He went on to admit perverting the course of justice and at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Wednesday (March 2) was jailed for 12 months.
PC Steve Jevons from the Camera Enforcement Unit, said: “The innocent man lost his licence while visiting friends in West Bromwich…and less than a month later Mahmood had used details from it, including his driver number, to try and palm off his speeding offences.
“Had he simply accepted responsibility he would have been offered a driver improvement course or a fine and points on his licence.
“However, he thought he could pass the buck to a stranger and then continue the pretence by lying to police when we uncovered the truth.
“Motorists need to realise that honesty is always the best policy: anyone who lies to police and tries to avoid justice needs to prepare themselves for the possibility of a date in court…and potentially time behind bars."
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