She was found guilty of attempting to pervert course of justice and jailed

Ayesha Ahmed, 27, of Dudley, was caught speeding in her BMW twice within five minutes by a mobile camera van parked near her home

A politics graduate has been jailed for three months after she attempted to avoid a speeding fine by paying £450 for someone else to take the three points.

Ayesha Ahmed, 27, of Dudley, West Midlands, was caught speeding at 39mph and 40mph in a 30mph zone in her BMW twice within five minutes by a mobile camera van parked near her home in July 2014.

But rather than pay for an £85 speed awareness course, a £100 fine and accepting three points on her licence, the international relations and politics graduate paid £450 to a man she did not know who claimed he could exploit a 'legal loophole' which would enable her to escape punishment.

Notices of Intended Prosecution (NIPs) sent to Ahmed were then returned to enforcement officers claiming that a woman from Walsall was behind the wheel of the BMW at the time the offences were committed.

But officers became suspicious when inquiries revealed that speeding offences by eight different drivers had been attributed to a woman living at the same Walsall address, leading to Ahmed's arrest.

During her police interview Ahmed admitted she had tried to avoid receiving the penalty points but insisted she thought the £450 was being paid to a specialist speeding fine lawyer.

She then claimed she was the victim of a scam by a fake lawyer and protested her innocence.

But the court heard Ahmed had lied and was told by prosecutors that she was not the victim of a scam by a fake lawyer as she claimed because she knew what she was doing was illegal.

The court heard she passed on her paper work to the third party to fill out on her behalf - which is an offence in itself - because she wanted to avoid the points and the fine.

Police said today that claiming she was an innocent victim scammed by a fake lawyer was an excuse she made up in the hope of getting off.

Ahmed was jailed for three months on Monday after a jury at Wolverhampton Crown Court unanimously found her guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

She was also banned from driving for 58 weeks.

Ahmed stood trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court (pictured) but was jailed on Monday after a jury unanimously found her guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice

PC Steve Jevons, of the West Midlands Camera Enforcement Unit, said: 'Ahmed has paid a heavy price for thinking she could lie her way out of speeding offences.

'The jury concluded she was deliberately trying to avoid justice and not, as she claimed, victim of a scam by a bogus lawyer.

'She never met this "legal expert", didn't have an address or phone number for him, and paid the money via a third party.

'Ahmed was given every opportunity to admit her guilt - an admission that would have spared her a jail term - and even the judge asked if she wanted to proceed to trial in the face of damning evidence.

'It's a sorry tale. She has no previous convictions but a potentially promising career is now in ruins and all because she wanted to retain a clean licence.'

Warning other motorists to steer clear of anyone offering to provide false details to the police, PC Jevons added: 'Don't be conned by anyone saying they know a person who, for a fee, can 'make speeding fines go away'.

'These people try passing blame on to 'phantom' drivers, knowing the authorities won't be able to trace them and assuming the matter will be dropped.'