A Scottish woman described her experience as “a living nightmare” after being inundated with fines and court documents for offenses she knew nothing about. Three men have been jailed following a motoring fines scam that involved the theft of her identity.
Police reported that numerous drivers in England exploited the woman’s personal information to avoid penalty points by completing Notice of Intended Prosecution forms. This scam allowed them to evade consequences for their traffic violations, and it only came to light when the woman reported the identity theft to Police Scotland.
These forms require the registered keeper of a vehicle to identify who was driving at the time of the offense. West Yorkshire Police identified 21 traffic offenses linked to 12 vehicles from 2019 to 2020, mostly for speeding, all falsely attributed to the innocent woman, who had no knowledge of the incidents. Further investigation confirmed that her identity had been compromised.
Bradford Crown Court heard that 42-year-old courier driver Abdul Kalam used the woman’s details to dodge prosecution for three speeding offenses. Handwriting analysis revealed he had filled out forms with her personal information, including on behalf of his sister and neighbor.
Prosecutor Laura McBride explained that the woman, who believed her identity was stolen while getting married in Gibraltar, was overwhelmed with court and police documentation regarding offenses she hadn’t committed, ultimately forcing her to attend court in West Yorkshire.
Kamran Ahmed, 43, was sentenced to two years in prison after admitting to perverting the course of justice. He had nine points on his license and paid £200 to Kalam to avoid a ban after being caught speeding twice. He also informed other drivers facing prosecution that they could pay between £750 and £1,000 to have someone else accept their penalty points, later confessing to receiving £500 from one driver, of which about £200 was given to Kalam.
Ayman Ahmed, 24, was found guilty of the same offense after a trial and was also sentenced to two years in prison. The court heard that Ayman helped fellow students at Huddersfield University avoid penalty points for payments, claiming he was in contact with a “third party.”
Two other men and a woman received suspended sentences for their roles in the scheme and were ordered to complete community service. Nasser Jahangir, 24, told police he paid £200 to Ayman to “get rid” of a prosecution after being caught speeding at 115 mph in a 70 mph zone.