Scottish woman in tears as pile of Bradford speeding tickets grew

Many of the offences had taken place in West Yorkshire.

But Elaine Carter – not her real name – lived in Scotland and was entirely innocent. How could events more than 200 miles away be having such an impact on her life…?

What at first was a puzzling irritation became overwhelming when the police came to her house to interview her over a rip-off involving the sale of a car – in Bulgaria.

Later someone knocked on her door to confront her about a similar scam. She wasn’t at home, but clearly things had reached tipping point.

Enough was enough. Stressed and increasingly anxious, she packed up and moved away.

The finale to this distressing episode came when three men were jailed at Bradford Crown Court on Thursday for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Abul Kalam, Kamran Ahmed, and Ayman Ahmed had all used Elaine’s personal details in a widespread racket to help speeding drivers facing penalty points or disqualification to keep their licences by adopting her stolen identity.

From left, Kalam, Ayman Ahmed and Kamran Ahmed

Whilst unsophisticated – Kalam and the others simply filled in Elaine’s details on intended notice of prosecution forms, which were then returned to West Yorkshire Police – the scam was widespread and lasted more than 18 months.

Kalam, with the assistance of Kamran Ahmed, helped relatives, neighbours and others and charged hundreds of pounds.

Ayman Ahmed, then a 19-year-old pharmacy student at the University of Huddersfield, assisted other students and pocketed a tidy sum for doing so.

On Thursday all three were locked up for what Her Honour Judge Sophie McKone described as a case that “strikes at the heart of the criminal justice system”.

Kalam, 43, of New Fields Walk, Bradford, got 40 months, Kamran Ahmed, 43, of Wellands Terrace, Bradford, got 28 months, and Ayman Ahmed, now 24, of Fairfield Road, Bradford, got two years.

And it was a retired police officer from West Yorkshire who doggedly pursued Kalam and Co in an investigation that spanned three years – and who was highlighted for his efforts.

Judge McKone said: “PC Paul Feather should be commended. He single-handedly, in effect, ran this operation and he is to be commended for the work that he’s put into that.”

The victim lived in Scotland and knew little of Bradford's roads

In her victim personal statement read at the sentencing, Elaine revealed how her driving licence, birth certificate, and passport had somehow been copied in order that her identity could be stolen and, presumably, sold on.

She said: “It all started back in 2018 shortly I returned from Gibraltar where I got married. I can only assume this is how all these disgusting criminals got access to my personal details as I’ve never given them to anyone before.

“First of all it was the odd fine from a private parking company somewhere in England. Stupidly I thought it was just a mix-up as I didn’t know where these places were or knew the car it was regarding, so I just ignored them.”

But the parking fines kept coming along with speeding fines from the police. Elaine realised “something wrong was going on” and tried to contact the companies direct to tell them she wasn’t involved.

They weren’t helpful.

She recalled: “This went on for months. It was all very frustrating and became draining.

“One day I got a tap at the door from two police officers. I thought, ‘Great, I’m getting some help eventually’, but no. They were here to interview me for supposedly scamming someone about a car in Bulgaria.

“This is where I almost had a full breakdown. I burst into tears and showed them a big pile of fines and speeding tickets that someone had been using my name for.

“They realised I was a victim of identity fraud and starting checking the registrations of all the multiple vehicles.”

The officers tried to reassure Elaine that everything would be okay and advised her to call both the DVLA and Action Fraud.

She did so but had no luck. Even a lawyer failed to have an impact on what was going on. The result was that Elaine was becoming increasingly frustrated and very tired.

She added: “Then it got worse. A blackmail [victim] came to my home where I lived with my children. He had also been scammed by someone claiming to be me with a similar story to the Bulgarian one. Luckily, I wasn’t home.

“Another man then called me saying he’d seen an advertisement by me on eBay. I told him again it was a scam. I decided to try the West Yorkshire Police for another attempt to help and that’s where I finally found someone who took the time to listen and investigate these crimes, thankfully.”

Enter Paul Feather, a retired officer who now works with the force as a civilian. He began an investigation that would eventually last three years and ultimately culminate in a conviction at trial for Ayman Ahmed and this week’s sentencings in court for Kalam, Kamran Ahmed and others.

Elaine said of PC Feather: “He has been amazing and so helpful.”

Nonetheless, she had reached breaking point. Having strangers turn up at her house left her feeling vulnerable.

She said: “I couldn’t take any more. I knew living in fear was not the answer, so I moved house.

“I will always feel sad that I moved on, but it was the right decision in the circumstances.

“Now I can only hope that all parties who played a role in my distress are held accountable.”

Speaking after the sentencing hearing, Rachel Wainwright, of West Yorkshire Police’s Casualty Prevention Unit, said: “All of the people involved had attempted to blame the offences on a woman who was entirely unconnected to both them and the vehicles involved in the motoring offences.

“In fact, this innocent woman has never set foot in West Yorkshire.

“West Yorkshire Police is determined to take action against this kind of illegal activity, and I’m pleased that these attempts to pervert the course of justice were identified and the people concerned brought to justice.

“People clearly hope to evade traffic offences which, in the majority of cases, can be resolved by attending an educational course.

“But by doing so, not only have they caused unwanted stress for an entirely innocent member of the public, but they have also had to face much more severe consequences for their actions by being hauled before the courts and sentenced for criminal offences.”