Wolverhampton councillor fined for holding phone while driving
A councillor has been fined and given three penalty points on his driving licence after being spotted with a mobile phone in his hand while driving.
Councillor Zahid Hussain Shah, a Wolverhampton City councillor for three years, went to trial but was found guilty after video footage – recorded by equipment inside a police car when he was first pulled over – revealed he admitted having the phone in his hand.
Shah, who represents St Peter's ward and lives on Coleman Street, aged 44, had earlier maintained in his trial the phone had not moved from the car's central console during the drive.
Wolverhampton Magistrates' Court yesterday heard that Shah, was driving his Mercedes C220 to see a constituent on the afternoon of July 4 last year.
He reached the junction of Farndale Avenue and Hordern Road in Whitmore Reans, when he was spotted by two police officers in an unmarked car. He was pulled over and the officers tried to give him a fixed penalty notice, which would have meant a fine of £60 and three penalty points.
Shah had described the police officers as 'aggressive' and said: "I felt like scum, the way they treated me."
Judge Wilkinson said: "You are clearly a credit to the local community and I'm sure you work tirelessly for them. I take the view you were obviously having a really bad day."
Shah was fined £100 and ordered to pay £500 in court costs and a surcharge of £20.
