Cop slams Kirklees councillor for spinning web of lies to dodge …
A police officer has slammed the antics of a Kirklees[1] councillor and her partner who have been jailed for trying to avoid speeding points.
Fazila Loonat, 43, and Afshin Amini, 34, both of Church Walk, were given sentences of 14 weeks and 12 weeks in prison after admitting perverting the course of justice relating to a speeding incident[2] in July 2020. The court heard that a Mercedes C220 car insured to the pair triggered a mobile speed camera on the A644 Huddersfield Road, Dewsbury,[3] on July 5, 2022.
The West Yorkshire Prosecutions and Casualty Prevention Unit, which works to make roads safer, has now warned those who try to avoid justice will be found out following the hearing at Bradford Crown Court[4] on Thursday, July 6.
Officers trying to establish the driver of the car were given details for a person who didn't exist, and then later told it had been taken for a test drive by this person on the date the offence was committed. The address provided for the driver was a Mini-Mart which later turned out to belong to the pair.
Both parties stood by the claim and were both later charged with perverting the course of[6] justice. They pleaded guilty to the offence prior to Thursday's hearing.
Rachel Wainwright of West Yorkshire Police's Casualty Prevention Unit, said: "Perverting the course of justice is a serious offence and those who lie to us to try and avoid prosecution should be fully aware of the penalties they can face.
"In this case, both the defendants made false statements and then made a number of efforts to substantiate the deception, wasting police time in investigating the stories put forward. They have now had to appear before a court to answer for this and face punishment.
"West Yorkshire Police[7] and partners work hard to make our roads safer and a key part of this is deterring speeding and encouraging drivers to use our roads safely. I continue to urge anyone who has footage of traffic offences or dangerous driving to submit it to our Safer Roads Submissions portal at Safer Roads Media Submissions (westyorkshire.police.uk)."
The Digital Submission and Investigations team itself was formed in 2019 to investigate attempts to deny being behind the wheel at the time of traffic offences. It is part of the West Yorkshire Casualty Prevention Partnership which aims to prevent deaths and serious injuries on the roads of West Yorkshire by ensuring those who choose to commit traffic offences are prosecuted for their actions.
Cases investigated by the unit have resulted in more than twenty years in jail time being handed out to defendants so far.
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References
- ^ Kirklees (www.examinerlive.co.uk)
- ^ admitting perverting the course of justice relating to a speeding incident (www.examinerlive.co.uk)
- ^ Dewsbury, (www.examinerlive.co.uk)
- ^ Bradford Crown Court (www.examinerlive.co.uk)
- ^ Dan Walker opens up on out-of-body experience after near-fatal bike crash (www.examinerlive.co.uk)
- ^ and were both later charged with perverting the course of (www.examinerlive.co.uk)
- ^ West Yorkshire Police (www.examinerlive.co.uk)
- ^ here (www.examinerlive.co.uk)