Editor's Choice
  View Archive




Click thumbnails to enlarge

Lowndes in Range Rover Lowndes in Bentley Lowndes in Ferrari Lowndes in Porsche




Posted by Editor on 8th January 2012 at 01:18 PM
Fraudster who masterminded nationwide motoring scam jailed
A man who masterminded a nationwide scam to help drivers escape motoring convictions has been jailed.

Colin Vincent Lowndes (09/12/1970), of Clough End Road, Hattersley admitted conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and 30 counts of fraud relating to a separate scam.

His accomplice and brother-in-law, Lee Derek Foster (07/02/1971), of Backbower Lane, Hyde, was convicted of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice following a trial.

At Manchester Crown Court today, Friday 6 January 2012, Lowndes was jailed for seven years and Foster was jailed for 18 months.

When a motorist commits an offence (speeding, contravening traffic lights and bus lanes, driving without a seatbelt and using a mobile phone when driving) a notice of intended prosecution (NIP) and Section 172 Notice is sent to the registered keeper of the vehicle involved.

The purpose is to identify the driver of the vehicle at the time of the offence. The form allows the recipient to accept responsibility or nominate a further person if someone else was driving.

The pair would submit false nominations that would generate further notices that would be sent to the ⿿driver⿿. This process would be repeated until the legal timeframe to prosecute had expired.

Lowndes and Foster used one of 11 different addresses. Four addresses - Backbower Lane, Newton Street and two addresses on Harbour Farm Road - were used more than most.

The prominence of these addresses raised suspicion at ticket offices across the country and following an investigation, warrants were executed at 11 addresses across Tameside and Gorton on Tuesday 25 May 2010.

Hundreds of NIP documents from police forces around the country, cash, blank envelopes and other items related to the scam were recovered.

Officers investigating the scam discovered that between 31 August 2006 and April 2010, 728 offences were detected across 26 police forces. Lowndes and Foster then made more than 1,000 false nominations in relation to these offences, allowing the motorists to avoid prosecution for various offences.

Of the 728 offences, 632 were within Greater Manchester. More than 500 nominations were sent to Foster⿿s home during the course of the scam.

Forensic evidence linking Lowndes to false nominations sent to the Central Ticket Office in Manchester was recovered as part of the operation.

Lowndes even submitted a false nomination when sent a NIP after a Saab 95 registered to him was caught speeding in October 2009.

As part of the wider investigation into the scam, more than 250 motorists who supplied their NIPs to Lowndes and Foster were arrested. Some of those have been convicted and received custodial sentences..

During the investigation officers from the Specialist Operations Branch discovered Lowndes was involved in credit card fraud and even carried out fraudulent transactions while on bail.

Between 11 January 2010 and 31 August 2011 he paid more than £4,500 over the internet for compromised credit card details that included 16 digit card numbers, security codes, expiry dates and even email addresses, phone numbers and postal addresses of victims. On each transaction he used his name, date of birth and the same addresses as the motoring scam.

It is estimated he bought several hundred sets of compromised credit card data.

He used some of the data to book numerous foreign holidays for himself, family and friends.

Sergeant Mark Beales, said: "Lowndes, with the help of his brother in law, ran an astonishing criminal enterprise that sought to make a mockery of road traffic laws and undermined the criminal justice system.

"He was simultaneously buying compromised credit card details that helped him live the kind of lifestyle many can only dream about and is a conman of considerable experience and expertise.

"The fact he has never sought a day's employment over recent years reflects a level of arrogance that suggests he thought he could continue to take from others for his own benefit without any repercussions. We were able to stop him in his tracks and I am pleased both men have been jailed.

"While we went after the conspirators of this scam, we identified those who thought they could escape a motoring conviction, some of who have now ended up with a criminal conviction instead.

"This case should send a clear message to motorists that providing false information is a very serious matter and we will take positive action against those involved."


Due to problems with spam only SalfordOnline members can now leave comments. Becoming a member of SalfordOnline only takes a minute, just hit the red Join Us button at the top right hand side of the page to create your Personal account.



Got a news story? Need help with publicity for an event in Salford? Send it to newsdesk@salfordonline.com or call the SalfordOnline newsdesk on 0161 789 5377.