A motorist who lied to avoid a penalty for speeding in Brighton has been sentenced.
Saado El-Yassir attempted to nominate a false driver to police after a speed camera showed his vehicle travelling at excessive speed in Preston Road on July 6, 2019.
The 52-year-old electrician failed to respond to two notices asking him to identify who was driving the green Mercedes that was registered in his name.
He challenged the offences put to him, instead nominating another man at an address in Brent, London.
Officers conducted checks, but found no evidence that this man existed.
Their enquiries also found that the licence of the nominated driver man contained several nominations from different individuals for other speeding offences.
It is believed the driver’s licence was being used as a “ghost licence” for drivers to avoid points and penalties for traffic offences.
El-Yassir was initially convicted at a magistrates’ court hearing in January 2020 and was ordered to pay a £660 fine, £85 costs and a £66 victim surcharge.
He then launched an appeal against the conviction, but failed to attend the appeal hearing. Therefore the conviction was upheld.
Officers meanwhile continued to investigate his claims, and at interview El-Yassir was asked about handwriting on the forms he had supplied to nominate another driver.
He claimed a “garage” had filled in the forms for him.
But he did not disclose the location of the garage or anyone he had spoken to there.
So he was charged by the Crown Prosecution Service with perverting the course of justice, and at Chichester Crown Court on April 13 he was found guilty.
Then at the same court on May 26, El-Yassir, of Booth Road, Colindale, London, was sentenced to six weeks imprisonment and a £122 victim surcharge.
Speaking after the case, investigating officer Christopher Raynor said: “El-Yassir was someone who was clearly using false details in order to escape prosecution.
“The original offence was for travelling at 38mph in a 30mph zone.
“It would have attracted six penalty points on his licence and a fixed penalty notice. Instead he tried to use a ghost licence.
“This sentence shows that those who attempt to deceive the police and the courts will be caught and will face prosecution.”
El-Yassir was convicted as part of Operation Pinocchio, which was launched by Sussex Police in 2016 with the following aims:
• To improve safety on Sussex’s roads by tracing and prosecuting offenders who provide false information to avoid prosecution.
• To prevent law-abiding motorists, who have been badly advised, from committing serious criminal offences by attempting to avoid speeding or red light offences.
