THE son of a former Kirklees councillor has been given a suspended prison sentence after his attempts to avoid a speeding ticket led to his own father being prosecuted alongside him.

The case against former Labour councillor Mohammed Sarwar, 64, was eventually dropped by the prosecution after his 22-year-son Naeem Sarwar finally admitted a charge of doing acts tending or intending to pervert the course of justice.

Bradford Crown Court heard today that the offence dated back to May 2022 when Sarwar was caught speeding in the Elland area while he was driving a Vauxhall Astra in the early hours.

Prosecutor Harry Crowson said the car had no registered owner, but there was an insurance policy in his father’s name and Sarwar was a named driver and paying the direct debit for it.

When a Notice of Intended Prosecution was sent out, Sarwar filled in the form using the details of a fictitious man in the Croydon area and signing the form in his father’s name.

When a further request was made for the correct details Sarwar maintained the ruse and submitted a forged insurance policy again using the fictitious man’s details.

Mr Crowson said the police discovered that the new insurance policy had been fabricated and they made further phone inquiries to show that Sarwar’s phone had been in the location at the time of the speeding offence.

He submitted that the administration had been delayed while the police had been “chasing red herrings” provided by Sarwar.

Sarwar, of Upper George Street, Springwood, Huddersfield, pleaded guilty to the pervert the course of justice charge earlier this year and today Recorder Abdul Iqbal KC sentenced him to 20 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, and ordered him to do 150 hours unpaid work for the community.

Sarwar must also comply with a three-month electronically monitored home curfew between 10pm and 7am and pay costs of £1,000.

Barrister Fuad Arshad, for Sarwar, conceded that the offending involved sophistication and planning, but he submitted that his client had been a foolish young man and things had spiralled out of control.

Mr Arshad said Sarwar operated a successful hairdressing business and prior to his “immense stupidity” in this matter he had never troubled the police in any way.

Recorder Iqbal told Sarwar that he had now lost his good character as a result of his conviction.

The judge noted that the Crown had discontinued the case against Sarwar’s father, but he said the defendant could have spared his father the indignity of being prosecuted and having the matter hanging over him for several months.

“I am sure you come from a respectable family,” the judge said.

“I saw many members of your family distraught in the public gallery no doubt at the sight of you and your father in a criminal dock in the crown court, but you have brought shame on that family.

“You have only just avoided immediate imprisonment today. If you behave in this way in the future I’m confident you will see the inside of a prison cell.”