Expelled Labour MP, Fiona Onasanya had been jailed for 3 months after she was found guilty of lying to avoid speeding ticket. She said her brother’s friend was driving her car when she was caught defiling speeding limit.
Fiona Onasanya who became an MP, 18 months ago was convicted of perverting the course of justice after a retrial in December. Onasanya’s brother, Festus Onasanya, was sentenced to 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of perverting the course of justice.
The 35-year-old will serve half her sentence. According to SKY, MPs jailed for longer than 12 months automatically lose their seats under parliamentary rules, so Onasanya will not lose her job.
Sentencing her, Mr Justice Stuart-Smith said: “These were exceptional times. Initially, you had no staff, no office, you were completely swamped by emails.
“I accept your evidence that others would frequently drive your car.
“There is no sentencing guidelines for these cases. Where a person is convicted of perverting the course of justice only an exceptional case will not result in an immediate custodial sentence.”
He said she had made her mark as an “able parliamentarian” and called her a “role model”, but said: “You have let down those who look to you for inspiration, your party, your profession and Parliament.”
The Peterborough MP was texting as she was speeding on the evening on 24 July 2017, during the summer recess.
She was clocked driving at 41mph in a 30mph zone in Thorney, near Peterborough. The court heard she was caught near to the home of her former aide Christian DeFeo.
The prosecution said she colluded with her brother to avoid the ticket. Onasanya sent back the Notice of Intended Prosecution naming the driver as Aleks Antipow, an acquaintance of her brother.
Mr Antipow was in Russia visiting his parents at the time of the offence.
The court heard the MP had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when police began pursuing her.
Sentencing Festus Onasanya, the judge said: “It is a tragedy you find yourself here… in each case I’m satisfied you filled out the forms with people you knew could not be traced and that the true drivers would not be brought to justice.”
He called his crimes a “deliberate period of deception which ran for months”.
Festus, 34, pleaded guilty to three counts of perverting the court of justice over speeding, including the 24 July incident.
The Conservative Party also called on Onasanya to resign. I”f she doesn’t, we will campaign to use a recall petition to ensure that the residents of Peterborough can have their say in a by-election for a new MP,” the party said in a statement.
The Labour Party has promised to support a recall petition and fight a by-election.
