A Bradford man and woman have been jailed after deliberately naming an innocent motorist as the driver responsible for speeding offences.
Asad Ashraf, 48, and Jayna Mistry, 50, were sentenced at Bradford Crown Court on Friday after admitting two counts of perverting the course of public justice.
The scheme was uncovered after the innocent driver received a court letter demanding £706 in fines and costs.
Victim Also Given Five Penalty Points
Further checks revealed the man had also been given five penalty points on his driving licence for offences he had not committed.
West Yorkshire Police launched an investigation.
The speeding incidents involved a white Audi Q7 caught by cameras on Cottingley Cliffe Road and Toller Lane in Bradford in January and September 2023.
Notices Falsely Named Innocent Man
Police traced the Audi to an insurance policy held by a company whose directors were Ashraf and Mistry.
The speeding notices were sent to Mistry.
She returned them falsely naming the innocent man as the driver and providing an address connected to Ashraf.
Further guilty pleas for the speeding offences were then submitted in the victim’s name.
Police Established Victim Had No Involvement
Investigators established the man had nothing to do with either speeding offence.
Police concluded he had been deliberately named in an attempt to obstruct justice and prevent the genuine driver from being held responsible.
Driving Licence Had Been Shown At Mobile Phone Shop
The investigation also uncovered how the pair may have obtained the victim’s personal information.
Police found he had previously shown his driving licence as proof of identity at a Bradford mobile phone shop.
Ashraf was a director of the company operating the shop.
Ashraf And Mistry Jailed
Ashraf, of Westfield Close, Bradford, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison.
Mistry, of Pintail Avenue, Bradford, received a sentence of three years and six months.
Both had admitted two counts of perverting the course of public justice.
Police Say Innocent Driver Suffered Stress And Anxiety
Rachel Wainwright, from West Yorkshire Police’s Digital Submissions and Investigations team, said the offending had caused significant distress to an innocent person.
She said Ashraf and Mistry had not only tried to avoid accountability but had subjected an uninvolved motorist to “a significant amount of stress and anxiety”.
Ms Wainwright said the original speeding matters may potentially have been dealt with without a Crown Court appearance, but the pair’s dishonesty escalated the seriousness of the case.
She added that the sentences demonstrated police would investigate suspicious activity involving attempts to manipulate the justice system.
