A HIGHLY respected chaplain and religious teacher has been jailed for six months for naming an innocent man when he was pulled over for speeding.

Mohammad Desai gave the name of a relative in Blackpool when he was stopped on Bradford’s Rooley Avenue at 9pm on April 28.

Desai, 27, of Bell House Avenue, Tong, Bradford, went on to plead guilty to doing an act tending and intended to pervert the course of justice by providing false identification details. He also admitted driving while disqualified.

Prosecutor Philip Adams told Bradford Crown Court on Thursday that Desai was driving a Toyota Yaris when he was seen doing 55mph in a 30 zone.

When stopped by the police he gave the false name and date of birth. A Notice of Intended Prosecution was sent to the innocent man who was able to convince the police that he wasn’t the driver.

Mr Adams said that Desai was stopped again on May 22 on the M62. He again provided false details but quickly retracted them and told the truth.

He went to the police station the following month and made full admissions, saying he had been an idiot and was ashamed of himself.

His barrister, Elyas Patel, said that Desai came from a law-abiding, hardworking and very respectful family who were deeply ashamed of his actions. He had caused them woe and misery that he would regret for the rest of his days.

Desai was an inspector and compliance officer in the meat industry and a chaplain with the Bradford Teaching Hospitals Trust. Mr Patel said he was a religious man with no previous convictions.

The offences were a wholly out of character aberration on his part. He was genuinely sorry and remorseful. Strong and powerful testimonials spoke very well of him.

Mr Patel urged the court to take an exceptional and merciful course and to suspend the prison sentence.

Judge Jonathan Rose said that there were glowing testimonials from people in positions of responsibility and authority that spoke highly of Desai.

But in September last year, he was banned from driving under the totting-up provision.

On April 28 this year he was driving while disqualified and when he was stopped by the police for speeding he gave a false name and date of birth of a real person. The named man was faced with being prosecuted for an offence that had nothing to do with him.

Judge Rose said Desai thought he had got away with it and went on to drive. His next journey was from Norwich to Bradford on May 22 when he at first gave a false name again when he was stopped.

The judge warned that those who think they can thwart the course of justice by giving a false name will find they get an immediate prison sentence.

Desai was banned from driving for 21 months.