A MAN has been jailed for six months for framing his girlfriend's former partner when police caught him driving illegally.

Innocent motorist Nerijus Brindza ended up with a court fine and penalty points on his licence when he was wrongly convicted by Bradford and Keighley magistrates for having no licence or insurance.

Deividas Sembergas appeared at Bradford Crown Court yesterday and was imprisoned by Judge Robert Bartfield who told him: "It has to be understood by everybody that if they give a false name and details they will end up in an infinitely worse position than they would have been."

Sembergas, 24, of Whetley Terrace, White Abbey, Bradford, pleaded guilty to doing an act tending or intending to pervert the course of public justice, on December 20 last year.

Prosecutor John Bull told the court that Sembergas gave Mr Brindza's name, address and date of birth when he was stopped by PC Andrew Gudgeon in Houghton Place, Central Bradford, at the wheel of a Ford Focus.

When he subsequently failed to produce his documentation, Mr Brindza was prosecuted in his absence.

As well as a fine and penalty points, he was ordered to pay costs and a victim surcharge.

In May, Sembergas went to a solicitor "after thinking the better of his conduct", Mr Bull said.

PC Gudgeon was contacted and Sembergas charged.

He also pleaded guilty to driving while uninsured and without a licence.

Sembergas's barrister, Abigail Langford, said he funded his own legal bill to put matters right.

His probation officer concluded that he did not name Mr Brindza for any sinister or malicious reason.

But Judge Bartfield said: "I disagree. Of all the people in all the world he could have chosen - I don't think so."

Miss Langford said Sembergas, a Lithuanian national, did not believe Mr Brindza would be prosecuted because he was insured. He thought the offences would be withdrawn.

Sembergas was a hard working man who came to the UK to better himself. He made furniture and had employment in the picking and packing industry.

He was driving to work when he was caught by the police, she told the court.

Miss Langford said Sembergas was already banned from driving under the totting up provision for previous offences of having no licence or insurance.

Judge Bartfield said the defendant had "a prepared plan" to use Mr Brindza's name if he was stopped again.

"I think you chose him because you knew it would cause him some difficulty," he said.

Judge Bartfield said the message must go out that people who committed this type of offence would go immediately to prison.

"The giving of false names is an extremely popular thing to do and I have had many cases of this kind before me," he said.