Cheshire BMW driver jailed over speeding ticket lie

Justin Robson changed the colour of his BMW's grille

A man who claimed his BMW had been cloned as part of an elaborate scam to avoid a speeding fine has been jailed.

Justin Robson, 44, was caught driving at 52mph in a 30mph zone on the A34 Manchester Road in Congleton on 3 August 2017, Cheshire Police said.

He said it was not his vehicle that had been photographed by police since its grille was not the same colour as his car's. In reality, he had swapped them.

Robson was jailed for nine months at Chester Crown Court on Thursday.

He had earlier been found guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice and speeding following a four-day trial.

When Robson received a notice of intended prosecution for speeding, he was asked to confirm who had been driving the BMW at the time of the offence.

After receiving the photographic evidence, he told police he believed the car in the pictures was not his.

He pointed out that the car in the pictures had a silver grille rather than a black one.

Justin Robson faces Christmas behind bars after being jailed for nine months

Robson attempted to prove this by supplying officers with four pictures showing his car with a silver grille.

He claimed the vehicle caught speeding was a cloned car using his number plate, which had been stolen during a previous incident.

But police had images showing Robson's vehicle travelling across Cheshire with a black grille.

After his arrest on 13 January, police said officers found a pair of black BMW grilles and a number of registration plates with drill holes matching the black grille.

They also discovered messages in which Robson admitted he had been driving the car and had seen someone with a speed camera on Manchester Road.

PC Pete Taylor said Robson "believed he was above the law" but "underestimated the investigative skills of our officers".