Man faked death to get out of ticket

LONDON, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- British police say a motorist attempted to evade a traffic citation by posing as a friend and telling authorities that he was dead.

Police said Shafkat Munir presented police with a phony death certificate because he was afraid of losing his license after being caught speeding three times within the space of a few weeks, The Daily Mail reported Monday.

They said Munir claimed to be a friend when he contacted police to tell them there was no way he could have been behind the wheel when the speed-measuring camera took a picture of his car.

However, police questioned the alleged "friend" and he eventually admitted to the deceit.

Now Munir, who would have faced a $350 fine and points on his license for the speeding violations, has been sentenced to 12 months in jail and barred from driving for 18 months.

"Interfering with the course of justice demands a custodial sentence, especially if there is a calculated plan to disrupt a prosecution by the production of a fraudulent death certificate," Judge Andrew Gilbart told Munir when handing down the sentence.