A MOTORIST told a 'flat out lie' in a bid to evade justice when caught speeding during a late night comet-spotting trip to north Cumbria.

Kyle Anthony Walton, 26, found himself in the Carlisle Crown Court dock and at risk of prison after his response to an incident on July 17 last year.

Daniel Bramhall, prosecuting, said a vehicle which Walton had on finance was clocked at 35mph in a 30mph zone at Warwick Bridge at 1.02am.

Walton was initially sent a notice of intended prosecution (NIP) form on which to nominate the driver of that vehicle, and then a final reminder.

“He replied to that warning by stating that he first rejected the NIP as it hasn’t been sent within 14 days of the offence and then stated that his vehicle must have been cloned and it was fitted with a tracker and was not in Cumbria,” said Mr Bramhall.

He was instructed the document was legally served. When asked for more details about the tracker, he sent a poor quality image of a car and an ambiguous route screenshot.

His barrister, Kim Whittlestone, said Walton had initially 'forgotten' being in that area before doing some research and speaking to others.

“He was, he believes, looking for a comet which was flying over on that date and he was travelling to the area of Alston,” she said.

Walton, of Chestnut Court, Toft Hill, near Bishop Auckland, admitted doing acts tending and intended to perverted the course of public justice between July 7 2020 and April 13 this year.

Judge Guy Mathieson observed that Walton had told a 'flat out lie', adding: “I can understand that having embarked upon what, in your eyes, might have been a little white lie, thing got out of hand.

“It was a daft line to take, it was a stupid line to take and one that you now know wasn’t worth the risk. It was a mistake which you are going to have to pay for, both in terms of unpaid work and a financial impact on you.”

Walton — a working man of previous good character — was made subject to a 12-month community order, must complete 200 hours’ unpaid work and pay £300 costs.