A UNIVERSITY student has told how she was subjected to a two year police investigation after a speeding driver stole her identify and tried to frame her.

Muhammad Boyce claimed his 'girlfriend' Ffion Stockden had been driving his car after it was clocked by a speed camera.

Boyce, 24, did not know Miss Stockden but had previously picked up her lost driving licence and gave her name and address to police.

Miss Stockden denied being the offending driver and told officers she had never heard of Boyce.

Rather than admit his guilt, the fraudster embarked on a stalking campaign against the 22-year-old to find out personal details that would back up his story.

He accessed her Facebook account to glean information about her and even turned up at the bar she worked at.

He told her his name was 'Jay' and engaged her in conversation before confessing to who he really was.

Miss Stockden resorted to giving investigators details about hidden marks and scars on her body to help them catch her so-called ex-boyfriend out.

Boyce was unable to confirm the markings and was forced to admit his lies.

He pleaded guilty to charges of perverting the course of justice at Bournemouth Crown Court and was given a suspended prison sentence.

Afterwards Miss Stockden, who is now a trainee paramedic, said: "I feel angry and bitter that he had got off very easily after what he put me through.

"I think he should have gone to prison for some time.

"I will struggle to get credit for the rest of my life because I have been a victim of fraud. It doesn't feel very fair.

"The whole experience has been a real eye opener for me. I had some basic security settings on my Facebook account but it still contained

personal details including my phone number which he used against me.

"I never realised how easily someone can find out personal details about you when your accounts are not really locked down."

Miss Stockden's ordeal began while she was studying communications and media at Bournemouth University.

She lost her driving licence on a night out in 2015 and unluckily for her it was found by Boyce who kept it.

Then when his Volkswagen Golf was caught doing 56mph in a 30mph zone on March 17, 2016, he wrote to the police naming the young woman on the licence as the guilty driver.

A letter was then sent to Miss Stockden and when she realised it wasn't her car in question she thought to had been an mistake by the police.

Boyce was arrested and interviewed and continued to insist that Miss Stockden was the driver and she was his ex-girlfriend.

Police questionned Miss Stockden several times.

Miss Stockden said: "When I got the letter I realised the licence plate wasn't mine and thought that was the end of it.

"Then a couple of weeks later I was asked to give a statement because the case had escalated. When I realised someone had put my name down I just thought it was a bit cheeky.

"The police said they had spoken to a guy who said I was his ex-girlfriend and that I was driving, I couldn't believe it."

She said she revealed prominent features on her body - a tattoo, a belly button piercing and a scar - that a boyfriend would know about.

She said: "I knew then the police believed I was innocent but it was still hanging over me for two years.

"Then he turned up at my work and tried to speak to me which really freaked me out.

"I didn't click who he was because I've had guys hit on me before. He said he wanted to say sorry and then admitted who he was."

Boyce, of Talbot Road, Bournemouth, was handed a 13-month suspended prison sentence and a six-month tagged curfew.

He was also ordered to carry out 270 hours of unpaid work, told to pay a victim surcharge of £140 and disqualified from driving for six months.

Boyce also received a two-year conditional discharge for a second fraud offence, which occurred in London.

Speaking after the case PC Sean Todd, of Dorset police, said: "Muhammad Boyce stole an innocent women's identity in an attempt to get out of a speeding offence. Even after he was challenged by officers he continued to spin a web of lies to evade justice.

"I hope the conclusion of this case will give the victim some sense of closure after what has been a very stressful time for her."