Pair jailed for dodging speeding fines

A man and a woman who passed on their speeding fines and penalty points to an unwitting victim have been jailed.

Asad Ashraf, 48, and Jayna Mistry, 50, were sentenced at Bradford Crown Court on Friday after admitting two counts of committing acts with intent to pervert the course of public justice.

Ashraf, of Westfield Close, Bradford, was sentenced to three years and four months, while Mistry, of Pintail Avenue, got three years and six months.

The court had heard the victim received a letter asking for £706 in fines and court costs and five penalty points had been imposed after Ashraf and Mistry falsely claimed the innocent person was the driver of a car caught speeding in Bradford in 2023.

The white Audi Q7 was insured by a company of which Ashraf and Mistry were directors, and the original Notice of Intended Prosecution forms for speeding offences - which took place on Cottingley Cliffe Road and Toller Lane in January and September 2023 - were sent to Mistry.

They were returned with a claim the victim was the driver and with an address provided which was associated to Ashraf.

Police found the innocent person had provided his driving licence to a Bradford mobile phone shop, of which Ashraf was a director, as a form of ID to be photocopied.

Rachel Wainwright, from West Yorkshire Police's Digital Submissions and Investigations team, said the pair had "attempted to dodge accountability".

"They caused a significant amount of stress and anxiety to a completely innocent motorist who had nothing to do with this matter," she said.

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