A motorist who lied to the police over speeding on the M23 was convicted in court and disqualified from driving.
Clive Lindsay, aged 48, of Hurston Close, Worthing, twice nominated fake drivers at an address in Tooting, London.
He was first caught travelling at 90mph while driving a silver Mercedes in December 2019 on the M23 between junction 10 and 11 at Crawley.
Police sent him a Notice of Intended Prosecution, and he nominated another person as being the driver at the time.
Then in May 2020 a blue Kia was seen speeding at 93mph at Crawley on the M23, and another notice of intended prosecution was sent to the car owner, a person known to Lindsay.
In response, another driver with a false name was nominated at the same address in Tooting.
There was no trace of either driver found at the address on databases or on records of those with driving licences.
Officers contacted Lindsay by telephone to ask him for proof of the people he claimed were driving the vehicles.
He suggested one of the drivers was an associate who borrowed the car who was not answering his calls.
Officers explained to Lindsay about perverting the course of justice and that he may need to be interviewed under caution.
He responded by saying "good luck with that" and hung up the phone on the officer.
But Lindsay’s luck ran out when ANPR cameras showed a man matching his description was behind the wheel on both occasions.
The resident at the Tooting address also confirmed that the two named drivers did not exist.
Lindsay was charged with two counts of perverting the course of justice, and appeared before Lewes Crown Court in August where he admitted the charges.
The court heard that both speeding offences may have led to a disqualification in their own right.
He was given a 15-month suspended prison sentence and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work in the community.
His Honour Judge Stephen Mooney also ordered him to pay a £500 fine, and banned him from driving for 18 months.
Lindsay must also pay a £149 surcharge.
He 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 in an attempt to avoid prosecution;
- And to prevent law-abiding motorists, who have been badly advised, from committing serious criminal offences by attempting to avoid speeding or red light offences.
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