Jailed: The taxi driver who claimed he had sold car and constantly lied to avoid a string of speeding fines 60-year-old from Oldham claimed he had sold car to a fictitious person - but was spotted driving it by a licensing officer A taxi driver who tried to avoid a string of speeding fines by inventing another motorist has been jailed.
Mohammed Khawaja, 60, of Oldham, was sentenced to eight months by Manchester Crown Court. He had pleaded guilty to five counts of perverting the course of justice and one of providing false information.
He had been caught speeding by cameras five times between June and December 2013.
But when a notice of intended prosecution was sent to Khawaja, of Chamber Road, he returned it and claimed he had sold the Ford Focus that had been caught on camera to a Mr Mohammed Saleem in June 2013.
The notice was then sent to an unoccupied house and Khawaja falsified a registration document.
His web of lies began to unravel when a family moved into the home and objected to receiving further prosecution notices.
Mohammed Khawaja's car caught speeding on camera
Police found the satellite tracking system in Khawaja’s taxi proved he had been driving it after he claimed to have sold it. He was also found to be paying monthly insurance instalments on the car.
And, contrary to taxi licensing rule,s no record of the car sale could be found. The final nail in Khawaja’s coffin came when a licensing officer even saw him driving the car.
Police Constable Vaughan Sherrah-Davies said: “Khawaja went to great lengths just to avoid paying his speeding fines.
“He concocted an elaborate scheme and invented a totally fictitious person whom he claimed he had sold the offending car just to wriggle out of the offences.
“I am sure now this case has been concluded, as it is highly unlikely he will ever be able to drive a taxi again, he is wondering whether it really was worth it just to avoid getting a fine and points on his licence.
“This case demonstrates what can happen if you provide false information on notices of intended prosecution.
“Warnings are clearly placed on the front of these notices that if you provide false information or pass the notice to another person you risk a far greater fine and possibly imprisonment.
“While I would encourage people not to be tempted to provide false information just to get out of paying £60 – the key message for me is to remind people to just slow down in the first place and respect the speed limit.”
source:
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... er-7889192
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