May 14 2008

by Sam Beattie, Evening Gazette

A
FORMER traffic cop who recently returned to Cleveland Police after he
was wrongfully sacked has admitted speeding along the A66 at 79mph – in
a 50mph zone.

PC Sultan Alam was pulled over just hours after
being offered his job back following a 13-year battle against his
conviction for handling stolen car parts.

Appearing at
Teesside Magistrates’ Court yesterday, the 45-year-old claimed he
“wasn’t causing a danger to anyone” when he broke the limit by nearly
30mph in November.

Alam, who already had three penalty points
on his licence, said: “I apologise for my transgression on this
occasion that fell below the standards required of me. I’d like to
clarify that I wasn’t actually causing a danger to anyone.”

He said he was giving a lift to his daughter, “who was very, very tired after a long day”.

At 9.42pm on November 19 last year, his 2007 Volkswagen Passat was clocked doing 78.9mph along the A66 in Middlesbrough.

“At the time I wasn’t driving stupidly,” he told the court.

The
dad-of-two, from Acklam, had already pleaded not guilty to exceeding a
40mph limit – a charge raised through an administrative error. At the
time he told the Gazette: “It’s an admin error that’s being queried.

“I’ve been charged with the wrong speed limit. I was in a 50 limit and I’ve been charged for being in a 40 limit.”

But the original charge was dropped at yesterday’s hearing, during which the speed he was actually travelling was revealed.

Alam pleaded guilty to a fresh charge of exceeding a temporary speed limit.

Warned
by the court he could face a ban due to the excessive speed, he said:
“I’d appeal to the court to avoid a disqualification if at all
possible.”

Magistrates added six penalty points to his licence, bringing the total up to nine.

He
was also fined £300 with £25 costs to be paid in 21 days. Alam, who
represented himself, was warned that three further points could result
in a driving ban.

After the hearing, he told the Gazette: “I
was dealt with as I’d expect anyone else to be dealt with. The officer
dealt with me professionally and it’s no more or less than anyone would
expect.” A Cleveland Police spokesman said: “The matter has been dealt
with appropriately by the courts.”

Alam became Cleveland
Police’s first Asian traffic officer when he joined the division in the
early 1990s. But he was sacked from the force and sent to prison for 18
months after being wrongfully convicted in 1997.

He served
half his sentence before a judge at the Court of Appeal dramatically
quashed the conviction. In March, Cleveland Police formerly apologised
to Alam and promised him 12 years’ back-pay, believed to be worth at
least £250,000.