A SPEEDING motorist is today behind bars and banned from driving because he tried to prevent himself getting penalty points.

After he was clocked doing 90 mph on the A1 north of Wetherby, Michael Pullan, 34, claimed to two police forces that his numberplates had been stolen or cloned, said Matthew Collins, prosecuting.

Then he sent North Yorkshire Police a doctored photo he claimed proved his Volkswagen Golf had been on his home drive miles away at the time.

But police investigators tracked the mobile phone he used when making his false numberplate claims and proved that it had been in the car clocked doing 90 mph at 9.45am on January 11.

"Those who seek to avoid the law by lying or subterfuge must understand that it is a serious offence. Custody is inevitable no matter how trifling the original offence," Judge Sean Morris told him.

"You put the police to considerable time and effort to bring you to book. I understand you have your own problems but many other people have problems."

Pullan, of Amberwood Close, Dewsbury, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice.

He was jailed for eight months and disqualified from driving for 10 months at York Crown Court.

For him, Adrian Pollard said that had he owed up from the beginning that he was the speeding driver, Pullan would probably have got penalty points and not been disqualified.

"He behaved in a manner which was completely nonsensical," said the solicitor advocate.

He had long lasting mental health problems and ran his own business, which had debts.

If he was jailed he would probably be declared bankrupt, said the solicitor advocate.

"He has got himself into an absolute mess," he said. "Everything will be lost.

"By nature until this time he was not a dishonest man, he was a troubled man."