A taxi driver has been ordered to pay more than £800 in fines and had his driving license endorsed with six points after denying that he activated a speed camera in Leigh.

Sivapathan Suthakaran of Midhurst Avenue, Westcliff, was accused of driving in excess of the 40 mph speed limit on the Southend Arterial Road whilst in his taxi on March 30, 2017.

He denied this when he first appeared at Southend Magistrates’ Court, in Victoria Avenue, on November 5, 2018 and the matter went to trial.

The 45-year-old initially admitted to the offence, but later withdrew this reporting that his vehicle had been cloned.

However when asked to complete the appropriate paper work, he failed to do so and instead told police someone else was driving the taxi at the time it activated the speed camera.

Following an investigation, Mr Suthakaran appeared at Southend Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, February 19 where he was found guilty of failing to provide information to the police in relation to the speeding charge.

Southend magistrates ordered Mr Suthakaran to pay £405 in fines, prosecution costs and a victim surcharge, as well as having his driving license endorsed with six points.

The payments will be made in £30 instalments every two weeks.

Investigating Officer PC Dan Cordwell, of Essex Police’s Casualty Reduction Section, said Mr Suthakaran’s dishonesty had cost him dearly.

He added: “Sivapathan Suthakaran chose to deliberately mislead us and instead of having his driving license endorsed with three points, he ended up paying a much higher price because of his dishonesty.”