Man jailed after using identity of dead baby to try and avoid Wennington speeding offence
Basildon Crown Court. Picture:Chris Radburn/PA - Credit: PA Archive/PA Images
A man who used the identity of a dead baby in a bid to avoid a speeding offence in Wennington has been jailed.
Vehicles registered to Chinedu Ebili were caught speeding on seven separate occasions between January 30, 2016 and January 14, 2018 across London and Essex, including once on the A13 in Wennington.
Each time a letter was sent to Ebili asking him to identify who was driving.
Essex Police said he gave the details of two babies who had died 20 years earlier, one of whom he provided for the Wennington speeding offence.
Ebili, 35, of St Leonards Close, Grays, also sent back the details of five different people, including an Austrian national and two Nigerian nationals.
Through their investigations, officers identified the details of the two children - the oldest being just a week old - were falsely provided to the DVLA to obtain provisional driving licences.
Letters sent out either had no response or failed to confirm whether the alleged foreign nationals were properly insured.
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After failing to receive a satisfactory response, officers visited Ebili's home to issue further letters to identify the driver of the vehicle.
During interview, he claimed one of the dead children was the boyfriend of a friend of his wife but later admitted he was driving in all but one of the speeding offences.
Ebili was later charged with perverting the course of justice and pleaded guilty at Basildon Crown Court last month.
He was sentenced to 15 months in prison at the same court on Friday, February 21.
Investigating officer Chris Sydric said: "The nature of Ebili's crime, trying to give false details in order to get out of a speeding offence, is not uncommon.
"What is so striking and shocking about this case is that he did this using the identities of children who had died as babies 20 years ago.
"These actions are disgusting and could re-awaken the trauma of losing these two children for their parents.
"Trying to avoid facing up is never acceptable but to do it in this pre-meditated manner is particularly callous."
