Pub man says car was cloned

A publican accused of speeding claimed his car had been cloned and even brought his darts team to court in a failed bid to escape a rap.

Stephen Gittus claimed he could not have been behind the wheel of a car caught on camera speeding along Willenhall Road in Wolverhampton as he was enjoying the first night of the new darts season.

The 39-year-old, landlord of The Staffordshire Knot, Pinfold Street, Darlaston, was allegedly clocked driving his Kia at 40mph along the 30mph road.

But he claims the car's details had been cloned and it was not him at the wheel.

Representing himself at Wolverhampton Magistrates Court yesterday, Gittus brought along his darts mates to vouch for his whereabouts.

But magistrates found him guilty of failing to supply information to the police after he did not fill in a speeding prosecution form.

He was given three penalty points and fined £250 plus £170 prosecution costs.

A separate charge of speeding was not pursued by the prosecution.

Gittus, who lives above the pub, said: "I know my car was parked outside the pub at 10pm, which was the time of the offence. It's the principle of the thing - I pleaded not guilty because I was not driving the car.

"I was in the pub having a drink and playing darts with my mates. I couldn't name the driver on that form because, as far as I'm concerned, no-one was driving the car."

Staffordshire Knot darts team player Dean Nicholls said: "We were drinking in the same round all night so he couldn't have been out driving or I would have noticed. There were 30 darts players in the pub at the time who could all vouch for him."

Magistrates told Gittus he should have made more of an effort to support his claims the Kia had been cloned by allowing police to inspect it.

By Elizabeth Joyce