Man jailed after falsely naming others in A34 speeding

Lonnie Smith, 40, of Whiteway Road, was sentenced to 21 months in prison on July 9 at Southampton Crown Court for five counts of perverting the course of justice.

Smith was caught after a white Peugeot van registered to him was recorded travelling at 71mph in a 60mph zone on the A34 near South Wonston on January 10, 2025.

Instead of accepting responsibility, he named other people as the driver, using real driving licence details but pairing them with fake addresses and incorrect dates of birth.

(Image: Google Street View)

"The investigation concluded that Smith’s actions were deliberate, calculated, and sustained, causing significant distress and inconvenience to an innocent person, in addition to wasting police and court resources."

Despite being issued formal warning letters, Smith continued to submit further false nominations.

Officers used ANPR cameras and mobile phone data to show that Smith’s vehicle and mobile phone were travelling together near the scene of the offence at the time in question.

The judge described Smith’s behaviour as “a bad series of offences and each offence involved a meticulous way to commit fraud”.

In addition to his prison sentence, Smith was banned from driving for a further 20 months following his release.