Premier League star Jesse Lingard ‘provided details of made-up driver when flashed by speed camera’ 

Footballer Jesse Lingard is to stand trial after denying providing the details of a fictitious man when his Range Rover was flashed by a speed camera.

The former Manchester United star and England international has been charged with failing to provide information about who was driving his car after a name and address were allegedly provided which were ‘linked to a so-called NIP farm.’

Mike Arden, prosecuting for Greater Manchester Police (GMP), said that they are ‘quite certain’ the person nominated does not exist and they think the address is actually a car park.

The case of the 30-year-old winger, who now plays for Nottingham Forest, was yesterday heard for the first time at Stockport Magistrates Court.

Mr Lingard did not appear in court in person but his lawyer entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf.

Former Manchester United star and England international Jesse Lingard has been charged with failing to provide information about who was driving his car after a name and address were allegedly provided which were ‘linked to a so-called NIP farm’

The court was told the Range Rover Sport was picked up by a camera allegedly exceeding the speed limit on the A56 in Trafford in August last year but that the driver was never stopped or spoken to

The court was told the Range Rover Sport was picked up by a camera allegedly exceeding the speed limit on the A56 in Trafford in August last year but that the driver was never stopped or spoken to

Mr Lingard did not appear in court in person but his lawyer entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf

Mr Lingard did not appear in court in person but his lawyer entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf

The court was told the Range Rover Sport was picked up by a camera allegedly exceeding the speed limit on the A56 in Trafford in August last year but that the driver was never stopped or spoken to.

A known car lover, Lingard’s fleet of motors have also included a Bentley Bentayga worth £180,000, a Mercedes-AMG C63 S Coupe worth more than £80,000 and Bentley Continental GT worth £200,000.

What are ‘NIP farms’? 

NIP Farms are a notorious scam where drivers pin their unwanted offences on fictional people in the hope it will make the tickets go away.

NIP – which stands for Notices of Intended Prosecution – relates to the notices ther drivers are trying to avoid, such as running red lights or speeding.

People found to have used these can be charged for failing to provide information to the police – which carries a statutory six point penalty punishment and can consequently see drivers lose their license.

Drivers and businesses are thought to be paying criminals as much as £800 to use fake driver details when writing out traffic notices.

Many of these had custom body kits and during his time at Manchester United were given matte black wraps with the cars’ emblems coloured red, thought to be a nod to the club.

So far this season he has made 16 appearances for Nottingham Forest with no goals.

Mr Arden said that as the registered keeper the force ‘wrote to Mr Lingard at his then home address in Altrincham’ with a notice of intended prosecution (NIP) and a Section 172 notice requesting the details of who was driving.

That notice ‘made it clear that the individual it was addressed to was to respond’ and that ‘they are not to pass it on to anyone’ he said. 

Around two weeks after Mr Lingard was written to, a nomination was made online ‘on the face of it by someone appearing to be Mr Lingard’ with his e-mail address being used, Mr Arden said.

The nomination said the person driving was a George Bolt who lived at an address on Pretoria Road in Oldham, he continued. 

Mr Bolt was written to and no response was received, the court heard. 

‘That’s not a surprise because he doesn’t exist’ Mr Arden said, ‘we’re quite certain about that.’

He said the force’s central ticket office had identified the name as ‘linked to a so-called NIP farm.’ 

He said checks were carried out and GMP were ‘satisfied George Bolt doesn’t exist at that address.’

‘We’re not even sure the address exists, we think it is a car park,’ he said. 

Mike Arden, prosecuting for Greater Manchester Police (GMP), said that they are 'quite certain' the person nominated does not exist and they think the address is actually a car park

Mike Arden, prosecuting for Greater Manchester Police (GMP), said that they are ‘quite certain’ the person nominated does not exist and they think the address is actually a car park

The case of the 30-year-old winger, who now plays for Nottingham Forest, was yesterday heard for the first time at Stockport Magistrates Court

The case of the 30-year-old winger, who now plays for Nottingham Forest, was yesterday heard for the first time at Stockport Magistrates Court

A known car fanatic, Lingard's fleet of motors have also included a Bentley Bentayga worth £180,000 (pictured) a Mercedes-AMG C63 S Coupe worth more than £80,000 and Bentley Continental GT worth £200,000

A known car fanatic, Lingard’s fleet of motors have also included a Bentley Bentayga worth £180,000 (pictured) a Mercedes-AMG C63 S Coupe worth more than £80,000 and Bentley Continental GT worth £200,000

Adding: ‘Therefore the nomination of Mr Bolt was inaccurate and misleading and prevents police getting to the bottom of who was driving the Range Rover.’

Frank Rogers, representing Mr Lingard said: ‘Mr Lingard will say he never saw the notice of intended prosecution and never had any dealings with it.

‘It was dealt with by a third party who processed it in the way that has been alleged, without his knowledge, without his authority and certainly without his approval.

‘The first he knew about it was the court papers around charging him (for this offence).’ 

‘He simply never received it. It’s essentially a simple trial issue’ he added.

The trial has been listed for July 28.

The charge carries a maximum penalty of six points on your driving licence and a fine of up to £1,000. Mr Lingard’s case was one of around 20 heard at the courthouse on Friday following an investigation into the so-called ‘NIP farms.’

A number of those who appeared were taxi drivers by profession. 

The charge carries a maximum penalty of six points on your driving licence and a fine of up to £1,000. Pictured: celebrating with goal keeper Dean Henderson

The charge carries a maximum penalty of six points on your driving licence and a fine of up to £1,000. Pictured: celebrating with goal keeper Dean Henderson

Mr Lingard's case was one of around 20 heard at the courthouse on Friday following an investigation into the so-called 'NIP farms'. Pictured: with England Manager Gareth Southgate during 2018 World Cup

Mr Lingard’s case was one of around 20 heard at the courthouse on Friday following an investigation into the so-called ‘NIP farms’. Pictured: with England Manager Gareth Southgate during 2018 World Cup

Mohammed Akaash, 29, of Reservoir Street, Rochdale, who pleaded guilty, said he spoke to a man on Snapchat who said he ‘could help me get away with getting points’ after he was sent a NIP for an alleged speeding offence on the A57 Hyde Road.

Details of a man said to live in Leeds were provided. 

He said after he was charged he informed the police of the details of the person he spoke to but that the account had been closed and they couldn’t be traced. 

He was given six points, fined £400 and ordered to pay a £160 victim surcharge and £90 in costs.

Mian Ahmed, 41, from Lancashire, received a six-month ban after admitting two offences.

The court heard that two weeks apart the details of two fictitious people were provided after he was alerted over two alleged speeding offences.

On June 4 last year, the Skoda Octavia he was renting at the time was snapped doing 58mph on a stretch of the M60 where the limit was 50mph. 

The same vehicle was then captured doing 57mph on the same stretch of the motorway near the junction with the M66, the court was told.

He was nominated as the driver and was written to at his address on Warwick Drive, Brierfield in Nelson, Lancs. He didn’t respond to the first notice but then another nomination was received in the name of Ali Nadin said to live on Wolfenden Street in Bolton.

He was written to however ‘by that stage the central ticket office had already recorded that address as having a link to the NIP farms’ Mr Arden said. 

At that time it had been used on ’22 separate occasions, by 22 different individuals and 22 different vehicles’ he added.

For the second offence, a nomination was received for a different address in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, which the court heard was ‘another address which has been frequently used and leads us to believe there’s another NIP farm.

‘The address had up to September last year been nominated by 32 different individual drivers, Mr Arden added. 

Kamran Yousaf, defending, said Ahmed was ‘going through a tough time’ at that point and had temporarily left the marital home to live in Bury and was suffering from mental health issues.

‘Very naively he gave the form to a friend to complete,’ he said. He received six points for each offence which meant that added to the three already on his licence, he now has 15.

Mr Yousaf urged magistrates not to ban him arguing losing his licence would see him lose his livelihood and that this would cause him ‘exceptional hardship’ as he would not be able to pay his mortgage or a loan of around £18,000 he had taken out to buy his own taxi.

However, presiding justice Nicholas Sheardown said: ‘It’s quite common that people who lose their licence are unable to do their work’ and banned him for six months.

He pointed out Ahmed would only have received three points for the speeding penalties and would have still been eligible to drive had he filled in the forms correctly. 

He was also fined £120 and ordered to pay £180 costs and a £45 surcharge.

Fellow cab driver Khalil Ahmad, 47, of Beckett Street, Gorton was given six points on his licence after admitting he gave ‘inaccurate and misleading’ details when his Mercedes Vito was said to have been travelling at 54mph in a 40mph zone of the M62 in January.

Mr Arden said: ‘He’s a taxi driver which you may or may not feel aggravates the offence.’ 

He was given six points, fined 750 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £300 and costs of £90.

Sabaa Nissar, 27, of Kellett Street, Rochdale, was found guilty after a trial and received six points, leaving her three points short of a ban. 

Rafih Khan, prosecuting said her Mercedes A200 was caught allegedly speeding on the A6664 Rochdale Road near Queen’s Park in north Manchester on December 12, 2021.

Mohammed Farouk, defending said she had lent her car to a friend, and that when she spoke to her friend, they told her it was another person driving the car on that occasion and that she gave those details ‘without doing her own diligence. That’s where she falls short.’ 

‘She didn’t knowingly provide false details,’ he said. ‘She provided details provided by another person.’ She was also fined £309, ordered to pay a £34 surcharge and £200 in costs.

Others, like Mr Lingard, denied the charges. 

Sajdah Parveen, 44, of Good Shepherd Close, Rochdale appeared after entering not-guilty pleas to two offences relating to an Audi A7 vehicle.

The court heard she claims her son filled out the form without her knowledge. She will go on trial in August.