by Paul Hooper

A taxi driver escaped a speeding fine, despite admitting the offence, because details of the chasing police car were submitted rather than his cab by mistake!

Anjum Shad had been stopped for speeding along Shorncliffe Road, Hythe. He was given a fixed penalty notice - and when he failed to pay was convicted by local magistrates after he pleaded guilty by letter.

But when Mr Shad appealed his fine prosecutors discovered the car in the court summons was in fact the police car.

Mr Shad, of Bouverie Road West, Hythe had been driving a Vauxhall Vectra - but the details in the charge was of the traffic officer's Skoda Octavia.

A judge at Canterbury Crown Court said he had no powers to amend the faulty summons and allowed the appeal, even though Mr Shad admitted speeding.

Judge Anthony Webb told him: "You are a lucky man. You admit you were speeding but we are going to allow the appeal. The points on your licence will be removed and there is no conviction. Be a bit careful in the future."

Claire Cooper, for the Crown, said: "The details in the fixed notice were correct but when the summons was issued, at some stage the information became confused with details of the police car.

"The Crown find itself in the difficulty that if it wishes to withdraw the summons and issue a new one it can't because it is out of time. It is something that, quite simply, should have been noticed at the lower court."