A Chesham grandad has spoken of his ‘confusion’ at receiving a speeding ticket after another driver used his registration plate on their car.

Thames Valley Police told Michael Adams that a speed camera had caught his vehicle doing 35mph in a 30mph zone on the A416 Nashleigh Hill on June 7.

But at the time of the offence, the 73-year-old retired engineer was driving his wife Fiorella back to their home in Chesham via Great Missenden, following her eye surgery appointment at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury.

“I was either approaching home in Chesham or I had just arrived home,” Michael, who is originally from the Rhondda in Wales, told the Bucks Free Press.

The father-of-three, who has four grandchildren, left the Stoke Mandeville car park after 10:10am but has tried to find out from the hospital exactly what time he was recorded leaving.

READ MORE: Thames Valley Police ‘aware’ of Chesham car fraudsters targeting innocent families

This, he believes, will show that it would have been impossible for him to make it to the other side of Chesham for 10:50am, the time police say he was caught speeding.

Michael thinks the number plate on his grey Renault Captur was cloned, leading to the speeding ticket dropping through his letterbox.

“I was confused,” he said, “Because I knew I was elsewhere. I went back to the police and told them but it is easy for them to ignore what I’ve said.”

Michael has appealed the notice of prosecution, as well as the attached penalty of £100 and three penalty points on his licence, telling police that the car caught was not his.

But the pensioner’s multiple emails to officers have got him nowhere and he now faces an additional fine of up to £1,000 and six points if he does not hand over the name and address of the driver.

He said: “I wrote back to them saying I would love to fill out the form saying who the driver was. I just don’t know who the driver was. But I am telling you, it wasn’t me and it wasn’t my car.”

The long-time Chesham resident admitted he was ‘concerned’ at what the police had said, saying: “The second response I got had a hidden threat in there that if I don’t give them the information, I could be liable to further prosecution.”

He added: “I am loathed to just give into these guys because it seems it is the lesser of two evils. Well, I know I haven’t done any evil.”

Michael has asked police to show him a picture from the speed camera to vindicate him, but officers apparently said they would only produce photographic evidence if the case went to court.

“I am not holding the police responsible,” Michael said, “I do feel they could have responded to me a bit quicker but they still haven’t replied to my request to send me a photograph of the number plate so we can compare it.”

The Chesham resident also admitted that he may end up ‘reluctantly’ paying his fine.

He said: “I know I shouldn’t have to, but they are going to come after me for bigger things and at this stage I can’t prove it wasn’t me.”

A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said: “This case is ongoing so it would be inappropriate to comment further.”

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