Private hire driver jailed for perverting the course of justice after lying about speeding offences

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A private hire driver from Wakefield who tried to get away with speeding offences by providing false details has been jailed.

Naveed Asghar, 33, of Wakefield was convicted of Perverting the Course of Justice on 11 September.

He was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court on 8 October to 9 months in prison.

Mr Shakoor, who was defending Asghar, said his client was a hard worker, and at the time of the offence had been working in a supermarket during the day and as a private hire driver during the evening.

Shakoor said: "He [Asghar] was trying to make ends meet and struggling financially. He made a very serious lapse of judgement and he has been caught out." The court heard Asghar is married with two young children, and a report stated he is remorseful and regretted his actions.

But Judge Mushtaq Khokhar told him: "Because you are a cab driver you wanted to avoid having points on your licence.

"You were trying to undermine the criminal justice system. "This is such a serious offence that nothing but custody can be justified."

Rachel Wainwright from the Prosecutions and Casualty Prevention Unit at West Yorkshire Police said: “Asghar tried to get away with speeding offences on four different occasions by providing false information to the Police. I am glad he was subsequently charged with Perverting the Course of Justice.

“I am pleased with the sentence handed down which shows we will not tolerate people trying to evade prosecution for poor driving on our roads.

“I hope this serves as a lesson to other people who think they can supply false details to the Police. Not only will they be committing a crime but they could face prison time.”