A motorist who lied after being caught speeding during a late-night comet-spotting trip to north Cumbria has been sentenced by a judge who called his criminal conduct “daft” and “stupid”.
A car which 26-year-old Kyle Anthony Walton had on finance was clocked at 35mph in 30mph Warwick Bridge, near Carlisle, just after 1am on July 17 last year. Walton was initially sent a notice of intended prosecution (NIP) on which to nominate the speeding driver, and then a final reminder.
In his reply, he first rejected the NIP as it hasn’t been sent within 14 days of the offence before claiming his vehicle must have been “cloned” as it was fitted with a tracker and “not in Cumbria” that night.
He was instructed the NIP was legally served and, when asked for more details about the tracker, sent a poor quality image of a car and an ambiguous route screenshot.
Walton’s barrister, Kim Whittlestone, told Carlisle Crown Court today he had initially “forgotten” being in the area before doing some research and speaking to others, saying: “He was, he believes, looking for a comet which was flying over on that date and he was travelling to the area of Alston.
Walton, of Chestnut Court, Toft Hill, near Bishop Auckland, admitted doing acts tending and intended to perverted the course of public justice between July 7 2020 and April 13 this year.
Judge Guy Mathieson observed that Walton told a “flat out lie”, and said he would have to pay for that mistake. “It was a daft line to take, it was a stupid line to take and one that you now know wasn’t worth the risk,” said the judge.
Walton — a working man of previous good character — was made subject to a 12-month community order, must complete 200 hours’ unpaid work and pay £300 costs.
