Jail for 'fixer' who got speeding drivers off the hook

A speeding ticket "fixer" who helped motorists avoid points and fines by claiming fictitious people were behind the wheel at the time of their offences was jailed yesterday for two years.

People would flock to Wajid Rafique, 33, after hearing he could make notices of intended prosecution "disappear".

Burnley Crown Court heard that motorists handed over between 100 and 300 to get off the hook, although the defendant claimed he did it for free. The father of two from Nelson, Lancashire, would fill in forms on their behalf with false names but provide real addresses linked to him.

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David Macro, prosecuting, said: "Mr Rafique had set himself up as a fixer offering a service to drivers who had fallen foul to speed cameras.

"The service provided was that the registered keeper would pass the blank form to him and he would send it to the central ticketing office with the name of a fictitious driver and giving real addresses in Nelson.

"He used at least eight addresses which were chosen because he controlled them in some way and he could get to the letters first.

"The central ticketing office would write to the fictitious person to confirm they were the driver or knew who was driving and of course no reply was sent."

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Unemployed Rafique, of Cobden Street, pleaded guilty to 43 counts of perverting the course of justice between 2005 and 2009 at an earlier hearing involving offences of drivers speeding at up to 45mph.

Thirteen drivers were previously sentenced to community orders after admitting attempting to pervert the course of justice.

One of those drivers told police that he received a speeding notice but had "heard about a place that could make it disappear".

Sentencing, Judge Jonathan Gibson told him: "Essentially you devised what became a relatively sophisticated method for people to avoid the consequences of offences detected by speed cameras.

"Often you received some form of money or remuneration."

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"A number of drivers were linked to you for the commission of these offences, including taxi drivers and other people who drove for work."

The judge added: "These offences were organised. They involved a significant element of deceit."

In mitigation, Stuart Nolan, defending, said Rafique had expressed "significant remorse", had been frank with the authorities and would spend his time in incarceration reflecting on his crimes.