TWO friends tried to con police after their car was caught by a speed camera on the Kidderminster to Birmingham road.

David Taylor was at the wheel of the Metro as it did 43mph in the 30mph limit, said Peter Tooke, prosecuting at Worcester Crown Court.

But he paid John Rowberry £50 to fill in a form admitting to be the driver. The deception was discovered after police questioned Rowberry.

Taylor, 26, of Harold Evers Way, and Rowberry, 22, of Chester Road North, both Kidderminster, pleaded guilty to conspiring to pervert the course of justice.

Taylor was made the subject of a community punishment order and told to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work. He was fined £60 for the speeding offence and ordered to pay £200 costs.

Sentence on Rowberry, who was in breach of a three-month suspended jail sentence, was deferred until September 13.

Martin Butterworth, for Taylor, said he was highly regarded by the firm he worked for. He had a stable relationship with a partner. They had one child and another was expected in the summer.

He had committed the offence in Blakedown because he was a new driver and thought that the speeding penalty points could be a threat to his full licence.

Nigel Stelling, for Rowberry, described it as "an incredibly stupid offence" from which no-one stood to gain.