Lied Over Speeding Ticket
A Birmingham taxi driver has narrowly escaped prison for trying to deceive officers over a speeding ticket.
Mohammed Malik, aged 62, claimed a mechanic was driving his Toyota Avensis, when it was clocked doing 37 mph in a 30 zone on Washwood Heath Road in April last year.
Officers then wrote to the man Malik claimed was his mechanic, only to have the letter returned saying he no longer lived at the address given.
Becoming suspicious, officers then contacted the cabbie’s firm and asked for a print out of his journeys on the day of the speeding offence.
His records revealed he had actually picked up a fare at the time – who could clearly be seen on the speeding camera footage sat on the back seat – but despite this, Malik was insistent his car had encountered mechanical problems on the journey and it was his mechanic driving.
Officers then went to the address Malik claimed the mechanic worked from and found it to be a residential property, which had never been used as a garage.
With the evidence stacking against him, Malik finally admitted the speeding offence and was subsequently charged with perverting the course of justice for lying about who was behind the wheel.
Malik – of Coleshill Road, Ward End – pleaded guilty to the charge and on 31 March he was handed a four month prison sentence – suspended for 18 months – plus 80 hours unpaid work and costs of £400. He was also banned from driving for six months.
PC Steve Jevons, from West Midlands Police, said: “Malik may have avoided jail but the suspended sentence is hanging over him for the next year-and-a-half and it’s likely he will now be stripped of his taxi licence.
“With no livelihood, clearly this will have a huge impact on his life and he will have to ask himself if all his lies were worth the risk.
“We hope this case serves as a warning to others that lying to the police and the authorities is a serious offence and can ultimately land you behind bars.”
