Speeding driver jailed for perverting the course of justice

A man has been jailed after he provided false details of an innocent person when he was caught speeding.

Lonnie Smith, aged 40 and of Whiteway Road in Bristol, was caught speeding in Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, Hampshire, Avon and Somerset and Wiltshire between May 2024 and March 2025.

Instead of accepting responsibility, in an effort to avoid prosecution Smith deliberately provided false driver nominations to each police force.

Smith used genuine driving licence details belonging to an innocent person, paired with incorrect addresses and dates of birth, but a thorough investigation lead by Hampshire Police, established that the nominated driver was able to provide proof of being elsewhere at the time.

ANPR cameras and mobile phone cell site data showed Smith’s vehicle and mobile phone travelling together and in the vicinity of the offences at the relevant time.

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.

He was convicted of attempting to pervert the course of public justice following a detailed investigation by Hampshire Police, in collaboration with the other forces who were able to supply evidence of his dishonesty relating to his responses to their investigations.

The judge said that it was "a bad series of offences and each offence involved a meticulous way to commit fraud".

Smith appeared at Southampton Crown Court last Thursday (9 July) and was handed a sentence of 21 months imprisonment for five counts of perverting the course of justice. 

He will also be banned from driving for a further 20 months upon his release from prison.

Robert Vestey from the Constabulary's Criminal Justice Department said: "As police forces we collaborate on cases where offences seriously impact innocent people who have had their details used, some have even found they have been disqualified without their knowledge.

"Instead of changing his driving behaviour, the Court sentence reflects the gravity of Smith’s attempts to pervert the course of justice."

Please note that there is not a custody image of Lonnie Smith.