Speeding driver sentenced for perverting the course of justice

Muhammad Dammir Boyce, 24 from Bournemouth, stole Ffion Stockden’s details from her lost driving licence and Facebook account. He even went to the lengths of falsely claiming to officers that he was in a sexual relationship with Miss Stockden, 22, and traced and visited her at work in Bournemouth prior to the trial.

Miss Stockden has chosen to speak publicly about her experience to warn others about the perils of not locking down their social media accounts.

Boyce pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice on the day the trial was due to start at Bournemouth Crown Court on Tuesday 21 August 2018.

He appeared at Inner London Crown Court on Friday 7 September where he was handed a 13-month prison sentence suspended for two years. He was also ordered to carry out 270 hours of unpaid work, made the subject of an electronically monitored curfew between 7pm and 5am until 9 March 2019, disqualified from driving for six months and told to pay a £140 victim surcharge.

Boyce was also handed a conditional discharge for two years for a second fraud offence, which occurred in London.

In the early hours of 17 March 2016 a VW Golf that was insured by Boyce, but not shown registered to him, had gone through a speed camera on Castle Lane West in Bournemouth. The vehicle speed was clocked at 56mph in a 30mph zone.

A police Notice of Intended Prosecution was sent to Boyce and he responded naming Ffion Stockden as the driver using the details from her lost driving licence.

A form was subsequently sent to Miss Stockden who replied saying she was not the driver, knew nothing about the vehicle and did not know Boyce.

Prior to the driving offence Miss Stockden had reported that she had lost her driving licence in 2015 while she was a student in Bournemouth. Boyce was also a student in Bournemouth but Miss Stockden said she did not know him and had never associated with him.

Boyce was arrested and interviewed in connection with the matter.

He maintained his claim that Miss Stockden was the driver at the time and she was an ex-girlfriend.

Boyce even traced and attended the bar where she worked in order to speak to her prior to the impending trial in an attempt to get more information from her.

Following a detailed investigation that spanned two years and involved numerous interviews with the victim, officers believe that Miss Stockden was an innocent victim and that her details were fraudulently used by Boyce after she lost her driving licence in 2015.

Miss Stockden also believes that her personal details from her Facebook account, including her mobile phone number, were also used by Boyce.

After the case, Miss Stockden said, “This case has been hanging over me for almost three years now and has caused me significant stress. I am quite a laid back person but it really started to affect me when he turned up at my work and tried to speak to me. This impacted on my degree and I had to ask for an extension on my final year dissertation because I found it hard to concentrate.

“This whole experience has been a real eye opener for me. I had some basic security settings on my Facebook account but it still contained a number of personal details including my phone number.

“I have undergone spinal operations and have a scar on my body but I had not made this public or posted any pictures on social media. This was really useful as when Boyce was asked in police interview to describe me he failed to mention these key points, which helped prove he was lying.

“For me, security on social media is now a real priority and I would urge everyone to make sure this is the case for them. I never realised how easily someone can find you on the internet and find out personal details about you when your accounts are not really locked down.

“I reported that I had lost my driving licence to DVLA but not to the police and had no idea you should report it to the police. I don’t think many people are aware of this and had I done this maybe my case wouldn’t have been as drawn out.”

PC Sean Todd, of the traffic unit, said, “Muhammad Boyce stole an innocent women’s identity in an attempt to get out of a speeding offence. Even after he was challenged by officers he continued to spin a web of lies to evade justice.

“I would like to pay tribute to all the officers from the traffic unit and the Central Ticket Office who worked diligently and effortlessly to ensure Boyce was rightfully convicted of perverting the course of justice.

“I hope the conclusion of this case will give the victim some sense of closure after what has been a very stressful time for her.

“Yet again this case sends out a very clear message that we will work tirelessly to ensure offenders like Boyce who think they are above the law are convicted and dealt with by the court.

“I would also like to remind everyone to ensure their personal details are not accessible on social media and their accounts are locked down so only friends and family can see your posts and information.”