A MAN accused of trying to evade a speeding ticket was 'all over the place' at the time of the alleged offence because his wife was ill, a court heard.

Jamie Faulkner is accused of perverting the course of justice over a seven month period after denying he was caught driving at 51mph in a 30mph area in December 2016.

During his trial at Oxford Crown Court yesterday, the 48-year-old of Slough Road, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, revealed his wife's illness meant he was an 'absolute mess' when he signed a form admitting to being the driver of his Vauxhall Vectra.

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The defendant said he thought he was confirming he owned the vehicle when he signed the paperwork in January 2017, adding his dyslexia contributed to the 'misunderstanding'.

Faulkner told the court he was unaware of the offence when he received the form, saying that ‘obviously something had happened’ but ‘he didn’t know what’.

He also told jurors that he did not usually deal with paperwork as he 'didn't know what it means half the time'.

Prosecutors claim that after police sent another letter stating the speeding could not be dealt with through a fixed penalty notice, Faulkner did not attend his court hearing and was convicted in his absence.

He was fined £800 and his driving license endorsed with six points in June 2017, jurors were told.

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Faulkner signed a statutory declaration at Oxford Magistrates' Court on June 27 and submitted a not guilty plea the next day, the court heard.

The defendant met Thames Valley Police’s court presentation officer, Lucy Eastwood, who showed him an image from the speeding camera, but Faulkner said the car was not his.

Differences included the number of stickers on the car, a hole at the vehicle's rear for a tow bar and the appearance of the number plates, the court was told.

The possibility of his car being 'cloned' was mentioned in the meeting with Ms Eastwood, although Faulkner said he 'couldn't remember' whether he or the officer had brought this up.

Prosecutors say Faulkner made these 'physical adjustments' to his car to get out of the speeding ticket and claimed he was not the driver, which he denies.

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The defendant told the court that he 'asked friends' about the possibility of his license plate being duplicated, but found no answer.

He added that vehicles are found dumped with new registration plates 'on a daily basis' near where he lives.

Earlier, during the prosecution, Ms Eastwood took to the witness box and said Faulkner told her travellers were living in his area at the time of the alleged incident and they 'may have something to do with it’.

During cross-examination from prosecutor Edward Culver, Faulkner confirmed that £800 was a 'substantial sum' but denied this caused him to change his plea.

Mr Culver put to the defendant that his wife's illness did not impact Faulkner's life as much as he was making out, with the 48-year-old replying that the prosecutor 'didn't have a clue'.

He later pleaded guilty to the offence at court, the prosecutor said, before he was dealt with in December 2017.

Faulkner denies one count of doing acts tending or intending to pervert the course of public justice.

The trial continues.