A PORTLAND woman has successfully appealed against a conviction and sentence linked to an alleged driving offence.

Jayne Urquhart-Sims, aged 68, of Compass Terrace, Southwell Business Park, Portland, had her appeal heard at Dorchester Crown Court.

In July she was found guilty at Weymouth Magistrates’ Court of failing to give information relating to the identification of a driver alleged to have been guilty of an offence, having been required to do so.

It related to an alleged speeding offence.

Magistrates fined her £500, ordered her to pay £650 costs, and had her driving record endorsed with six penalty points.

The court heard the offence in question involved a company car registered to Ms Urquhart-Sims that had been caught speeding.

The court heard Urquhart-Sims received a notice of intended prosecution under the Road Traffic Act in November last year.

Paul Ricketts, prosecuting, said a series of exchanges followed with Ms Urquhart-Sims until February with the appellant outlining her position that she wasn’t driving the vehicle at the time.

The court heard two of Ms Urquhart-Sims’s work colleagues were also insured to drive the vehicle but Ms Urquhart-Sims argued she had no evidence to suggest they were driving the vehicle at that time.

Mr Ricketts said Ms Urquhart-Sims did not fulfil the requirements of the form sent to her and that she had failed to nominate the person who had been driving the car, which led to her being brought to court.

Ms Urquhart-Sims told the court she understood both colleagues insured to drive the car were on the premises at the time, which is why she couldn’t nominate them.

She told the court she could only assume someone else had driven the vehicle when they shouldn’t have done.

Judge Jonathan Fuller QC, sitting alongside two magistrates, reached the conclusion that Ms Urquhart-Sims couldn’t with ‘reasonable diligence’ know who the driver was.

The conviction and sentence was overturned by the court.

Speaking after the appeal, Ms Urquhart-Sims said: “I really and truly didn’t know who the driver was. I was pleased they had realised this can happen sometimes.”