JAILED: Speeding graduate who lied to police in bid to avoid three points on licence

West Midlands Police said Ayesha Ahmed, who has a degree in international relations and politics, had ruined a potentially promising career for the sake of not paying a small fine.

Ayesha Ahmed was caught speeding in her BMW twice inside five minutes by the same mobile camera parked in St Peter's Road, close to her Netherton home.

But rather than accept a driver awareness course, a fine and three points on her licence she paid £450 to a man who claimed he could exploit a 'legal loophole' that would enable her to escape punishment.

Both Notices of Intended Prosecution (NIPs) sent to Ahmed were returned suggesting a Ms Nosheen Yoqum, from Forrester Street in Walsall, was behind the wheel when the car was caught at 39 and 40mph in the 30mph zone back in June 2014.

Police became suspicious as the 27-year-old, from Baptist End Road, had previously emailed the unit claiming she was being followed at the time and pleading to be let off.

Enquiries revealed eight other speeding offences had been attributed to drivers living at the same Forrester Street address - but there was no record of them ever being tenants and checks with the DVLA also drew a blank.

In a police interview Ahmed, an international relations & politics graduate, admitted trying to dodge the penalty points but insisted she thought the £450 was being paid to a specialist speeding fine lawyer.

She maintained her innocence through a two-day trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court, but on Monday was jailed for three months after a jury unanimously found her guilty of trying to pervert the course of justice. She was also banned from driving for 58 weeks.

PC Steve Jevons from West Midlands Police's Camera Enforcement Unit, said: "Ahmed has paid a heavy price for thinking she could lie her way out of speeding offences. We examined footage of the offences and it's clear she was not being followed; the jury concluded she was deliberately trying to avoid justice and was not, as she claimed, the victim of a scam by a bogus lawyer.

"She never met this 'legal expert', didn't have an address or phone number for him, and paid the money via a third party.

"Ahmed was given every opportunity to admit her guilt - an admission that would have spared her a jail term - and even the judge asked if she wanted to proceed to trial in the face of damning evidence.

"It's a sorry tale: she has no previous convictions but a potentially promising career is now in ruins and all because she wanted to retain a clean licence.

"Don't be conned by anyone saying they know a person who, for a fee, can 'make speeding fines go away'. These people try passing blame onto phantom drivers knowing the authorities won't be able to trace them and assuming the matter will be dropped.

"They never meet in person and won't give contact details so it makes them hard to trace - but we will investigate and anyone found lying to the police and courts must understand they face the prospect of time in prison."