- Car clocked at 37.3mph in a 30mph zone in Lewisham Way, south-east London
- Lord Howard and wife Sandra said they could not recall who was driving at time
- Former Home Secretary fined £900 and received six penalty points on license
- But Lord Justice Simon and Mrs Justice Whipple overturned conviction today
Lord Howard and his wife Sandra(pictured outside court in December) said they could not recall which of them was driving when their car was caught speeding
The High Court has quashed the conviction of former Tory party leader Lord Howard for failing to say who was driving his car when it was caught speeding.
The 76-year-old politician and his wife Sandra said they could not recall which of them was driving when it was clocked at 37mph in a 30mph zone in Lewisham Way, south-east London, in January last year.
The former home secretary was fined £900 and received six penalty points on his licence for failing to give such information as to the identity of the driver of a vehicle of which he was at the material time the keeper as he was required to give by the police.
The couple were not in court in London on Thursday to hear Lord Justice Simon and Mrs Justice Whipple overturn the conviction.
Lawyers for the Director of Public Prosecutions did not apply for the case to be remitted.
Lord Howard completed part one of the relevant form, giving the required details of his own name, address and date of birth but, while he mentioned his wife as being the other possible driver, he did not provide her details.
The second part of the form, which allowed for the details of other drivers to be provided, was left blank.
Lord Howard’s solicitor-advocate, David Sonn, said that ‘crucially’ there were no instructions on the form as to how it was to be completed if the recipient did not know who was the driver at the relevant time.
He added: ‘The core submission is that the form was filled in to the best of my client’s ability.’
The politician and his wife Sandra said they could not recall which of them was driving when it was clocked at 37mph in a 30mph zone in Lewisham Way, London, in January last year
Lord Howard owns a Toyota Prius similar to the one pictured in this file image