Posted on 01/26/2009 5:34:07 PM PST by LibWhacker
It's believed that he earned upwards of £24,000 through his scam.
Abdul Musa, a garage owner from Blackburn, Lancashire, today begins a 16 month stretch in jail after police discovered he was getting paid to take the blame for other people’s speeding offences.
According to reports he charged customers £200 a time for his ‘services’, admitting to authorities that he had been driving a car when it got caught on camera. With his service proving particularly popular with local taxi drivers it is believed that he made upwards of £24,000.
It is though that he falsely accepted responsibility for at least 120 speeding tickets over a 4 year period. However, Musa was only charged on 13 counts of perverting the course of justice after police found evidence of just five £60 fixed penalty notices, seven notices of intended prosecutions and one notice of court proceedings when they searched his home.
Musa, who is currently without a valid driving licence, managed to evade suspicion for such a long time by repeatedly changing the spelling of his name and flouting regulations that mean authorities only have 6 months to resolve speeding offences.
Eventually, however, the unusually large number of penalty notices being sent to his home was noticed and police began an investigation.
Ironically, while 11 of Musa’s customers were also charged with perverting the course of justice and ordered to do community service, few would have been subject to such a penalty had they accepted the speeding fine themselves. In fact, the vast majority of those who paid Musa to accept guilt on their behalf were driving at less than 10 mph over the limit when they were caught – an infringement that would have simply carried three points on their licence and a £60 fine.
"The remarkable thing about this case is that the drivers went to great lengths to avoid points on a driving licence even though many had no points or any previous dealing with the criminal justice system." said Judge Pamela Badley on sentencing.
"It goes to show that when temptation is put before someone to break the rules, they can go ahead without thinking of the consequences."
“Eventually, however, the unusually large number of penalty notices being sent to his home was noticed and police began an investigation.”
They always undo themselves by getting too greedy.
Neat little scam, btw. I’m not saying what he did was right, but it’s a rather clever scheme.
I’ll tell you why they wanted to pay 200 instead of 60 for the ticket
INSURANCE!
insurance rates will more than make up for the stupid 200 dollars. Especially if you are a cab driver. I’m sure those guys really pay through the nose for insurance.
Funny, isn't it, how the government workers never seem to conclude that the government's idiotic laws and enforcement policies could possibly do with a "rethink"... If the great majority of these infractions were for speeds that were less than 10 MPH above the speed limit, then perhaps the speed limits are being set incorrectly, or perhaps the speed limit enforcement is being handled in a draconian way - for example, with the goal of benefitting the government coffers without providing any real benefits to the public that the government ostensibly serves (what a quaint idea!).
an infringement that would have simply carried three points on their licence and a £60 fine
Only a government idiot would think that "three points on their licence and a £60 fine" is an appropriate penalty for behavior that is not likely to have been reckless or dangerous in any way. I rest my case...
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