Michael Howard is CONVICTED after ex-Tory leader told cops he ‘couldn’t recall’ who was driving his Toyota Prius when it was caught speeding
The 75-year-old apparently suffered a memory loss as to whether or not he was the driver when his Toyota Prius was caught doing 37mph in a 30 zone
THE FORMER Conservative leader Michael Howard has been convicted of failing to say who was driving his car after it was caught by a speed camera.
Lord Howard, 75, could not “truthfully” complete a form sent by the Met Police as he “simply couldn’t remember”.
The Howards’ Toyota Prius was snapped doing 37.5mph in a 30mph zone as they drove back from their home in Kent to their Westminster base.
Prosecutor Andrew Perry told Wimbledon Magistrates Court: “Shrugging your shoulders and saying: ‘I can’t remember’ is not enough.
“He said: ‘It could be me, it could be my wife. We make that journey regularly and we can’t remember who was driving.”
Lord Howard fought the case himself, and even called his wife as a witness.
“When I’m with my wife, which is regularly, we have no regular routine,” he told the court.
“We were driving back from Kent, a journey we make very regularly and who drives depends on circumstances of whether one of us is tired, has work to do or is reading.
“We have a home in Kent where we go for weekends in my former constituency.
“I very much wish that I did [remember who was driving], unfortunately I don’t.”
The couple then went on holiday in Grenada meaning they did not receive the speeding notification for three weeks.
Lord Howard told Wimbledon magistrates’ court: “Neither of us has any desire to escape the consequences of our actions.
"I tried as hard as I could to remember who was driving. It was almost a month before. I simply couldn’t remember.”
The couple say that one of them was speeding in Lewisham Way, south east London on January 24, but cannot remember who.
Mr Howard told the court: “I tried as hard as I could to remember who was driving. It was almost a month before. I simply couldn’t remember.
“Neither of us has any desire to escape the consequences of our actions. I couldn’t truthfully complete the form.”
He has three points on his licence for speeding in 2014 and Lady Howard has an old conviction for the same offence.
“I have no incentive to dissemble about this matter. I’d rather the driver was identified.
“We frequently change over during the course of the journey. It’s a sixty-five mile journey.”
Lady Howard told the court: “We were not trying to hide anything. We simply couldn’t remember.”
District Judge Barbara Barnes did not criticise the couple’s evidence, describing them both as “credible.”
She added: “The defendant did speak to his wife to try and remember who was driving. They did rack their brains.”
He denied failing to give information relating to identification of a vehicle, but was found guilty and fined £900.
JPs also ordered him to pay £625 costs and gave him six penalty points on his licence.