Daily Mirror

MP’S ‘PLOT TO DODGE SPEED TICKET POINTS’

Labour whip accused of perverting course of justice

- BY MIKEY SMITH, ANDREW GREGORY and NICOLA BARTLETT mikey.smith@mirror.co.uk

A LABOUR MP faces trial after being accused of lying to police over a speeding offence.

Fiona Onasanya, 34, appeared before magistrate­s on July 12 charged with perverting the course of justice, it emerged last night.

Ms Onasanya and younger brother Festus allegedly “falsely named” another person as the driver of a car travelling over the speed limit in 2017, shortly after she was elected MP for Peterborou­gh.

The Crown Prosecutio­n Service last night said Onasanya faced two counts of perverting justice. On the first, she is alleged to have exceeded the speed limit and falsely informed the police that it was another driver. On the second, her brother is alleged to have broken the speed limit and falsely named another person.

She is due to appear in court again on August 13. It is understood her next hearing will be at the Old Bailey in Central London.

Police confirmed that the alleged offences took place in Cambridges­hire.

A spokesman said Onasanya “appeared at Westminste­r Magistrate­s Court on July 12 and is due to appear in court again on August 13”. The Mirror has learned the case is being prosecuted by the Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division of the Crown Prosecutio­n Service. Onasanya was a solicitor before she was elected to Parliament by just 607 votes, ousting Tory Stewart Jackson. She is a Labour whip, meaning she is responsibl­e for party discipline. A Labour Party spokesman said: “It would not be appropriat­e to comment on an ongoing case.”

 ??  ?? CHARGES Fiona Onasanya
CHARGES Fiona Onasanya

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