A BRADFORD man has been jailed for eight months after falsifying details to try to avoid a speeding fine.

Paul Maiden, 43,of Lower House Close, Thackley, Bradford, was jailed at Bradford Crown Court on Friday after admitting to perverting the course of justice.

He was the latest in a series of defendants to be convicted following enquires by the West Yorkshire Prosecutions and Casualty Prevention Unit which works to make roads safer and investigate those who try to avoid justice.

In the latest case, Bradford Crown Court heard the defendant had been caught driving at 97mph between junctions 39 and 40 on the M1 northbound on March 11, 2021.

When contacted and issued with a Notice of Intended Prosecution, he claimed he had not been driving the vehicle and put forward the names of other parties.

The male was eventually arrested and conversations from his mobile phone were recovered which detailed his efforts to avoid the offence.

Alongside the prison sentence, the 43-year-old was also given a 16-month driving disqualification and a £156 surcharge.

The West Yorkshire Prosecutions and Casualty Prevention Unit itself was formed in 2019 to investigate attempts to deny being behind the wheel at the time of traffic offences.

It is part of the West Yorkshire Casualty Prevention Partnership which aims to prevent deaths and serious injuries on the roads of West Yorkshire by ensuring those who choose to commit traffic offences are prosecuted for their actions.

Cases investigated by the unit have resulted in more than eight years in jail time being handed out to defendants in the last year as well as 1140 hours unpaid work and five years in suspended sentences.

Rachel Wainwright of West Yorkshire Police’s Casualty Prevention Unit, said: “Speeding undoubtedly costs lives and in this case, the defendant was driving significantly in excess of the motorway limit at a speed which was dangerous.

“He then made determined attempts to avoid prosecution for his actions, necessitating a protracted investigation which established his guilt and gave him little option but to admit what he had done to the courts.

“This case again demonstrates how hard it is for offenders to try and get away with speeding offences and they really need to be aware that lying to us is Perverting the Course of Justice which is a serious criminal offence.

She added: “We all want to make our roads safer and to do so, we will fully investigate those who drive dangerously on them.  

“I continue to urge anyone who has footage of traffic offences or dangerous driving to submit it to our Safer Roads Submissions Portal https://www.saferroadsmediasubmissions.westyorkshire.police.uk/