A Nigerian-born British lawmaker, Fiona Onasanya, was, on Tuesday, sentenced to three months in prison for lying in order to avoid a speeding ticket.
The lawmaker appeared at the Old Bailey in London alongside her brother, Festus Onasanya, who pleaded guilty to three similar charges and was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment.
The Birmingham Mail reported that the Old Bailey in London heard in evidence that the former solicitor was texting and speeding on the evening of July 24, 2017, while driving at 41mph in a 30mph zone.
The prosecution alleged that she went on to connive with Festus to avoid a speeding ticket.
The court also heard that she was sent a Notice of Intended Prosecution to fill out, but it was sent back, naming the driver as Aleks Antipow, an acquaintance of Festus, who was away visiting his parents in Russia.
Following the guilty verdict before Christmas, Onasanya was expelled from the Labour Party and has launched an appeal against her conviction.
Delivering the judgement, Justice Stuart-Smith said, “It’s a tragedy that you have found yourselves here and in this predicament, but it’s a tragedy that you have brought on yourselves.”
The judge added that Onasanya’s decision to remain as an MP was beyond the powers of the court.
“As things stand, it is not right to say that you have lost everything. You have decided to remain as a member of parliament despite your expulsion. It is well beyond the remit of this court to speculate on what the future holds for you as Member of Parliament for Peterborough,” he added.
Referring to the fact she has multiple sclerosis, Stuart-Smith said her health and her previous good character had been taken into account during sentencing.
Onasanya’s counsel, Christine Agnew QC, according to The Guardian UK, said the case had had a disastrous impact on her client’s life
