Mercedes driver, who blames cloned number plate to avoid speeding tickets, jailed

A Mercedes driver, who once drove at 103mph in 70mph zone, has been jailed for perverting the course of justice to avoid speeding tickets. Rory Keen, 47, of Spring Road in Southampton, tried to claim his number plate had been cloned so he was not the driver caught speeding. Keen's black Mercedes CLA 45 was recorded speeding on four occasions: 65mph in temporary 50mph zone of M27 eastbound near Swanwick on November 16, 2021 at 8.51pm, 64mph in temporary 50mph zone of M27 eastbound near Swanwick on November 19, 2021 at 9.53pm, 87mph in 70mph limit of M27 westbound near Fareham on September 17, 2022 at 6pm, and 103mph in 70mph limit of M27 eastbound near West End on October 7, 2022 at 9.03am.

The court heard Keen changed his number plate and sent an image of this to police in an attempt to corroborate his story and avoid prosecution. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said officers were able to prove he was the driver of the vehicle by using the car's built-in GPS, cell site analysis from his mobile phone and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR).

He was charged with perverting the course of justice and pleaded guilty. Keen was sentenced at Southampton Crown Court on Friday (March 1) to 12 months in prison. He will also be disqualified from driving for 6 months upon release.