One man has been jailed and another given a suspended sentence for trying to dodge a speeding ticket.

Carlisle Crown Court heard that the pair conspired to try and stop police from prosecuting a driver for speeding.

They both pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice.

The offence happened on December 6, 2016, when a Saab car was caught travelling above the 30mph speed limit on Longtown Road in Brampton.

The vehicle was registered to David Holmes, 58, whose address was given as a farm near St Mungo, Lockerbie.

A notice was sent to Holmes requesting information about who was driving at the time of the offence.

A nomination was subsequently received for Owen Birks, 26, of Snitton Lane, Snitton, Ludlow.

Police launched an investigation into the claims made by both men.

It resulted in them being charged, in March 2019, with perverting the course of justice.

Both men appeared at Carlisle Crown Court yesterday, where they admitted the offence.

Holmes was sentenced to 22 weeks in prison and was disqualified from driving for 37 weeks.

Birks was sentenced to a an 11-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.

Sergeant Graeme Hodgson of Cumbria Constabulary’s Mobile Support Group said: “The original speeding offence could easily have been dealt with by way of a conditional fixed penalty.

“Instead, the two men entered into a series of criminal acts with the aim of preventing the person driving the car from being dealt with as the offending motorist.

“It is our hope that this sentence sends out a clear message that those people who seek to break the law to avoid the consequences of their actions will be pursued, and that the courts take such attempts to circumvent the law extremely seriously.”