A WINCHESTER city councillor is adamant she will overturn a hefty court fine after being convicted of failing to identify a driver guilty of an offence.

Sue Cook has been hit with fines of £811.

Cllr Cook, 54, of Hewlett Close, Twyford, admitted to the Daily Echo that she had speeded on December 15, in Southampton where she was caught doing 35mph on a 30mph road.

But she is adamant in denying that she failed to respond to the police.

At Basingstoke Magistrates Court the speeding offence was withdrawn, for unclear reasons, but Cllr Cook, in her absence, was convicted of failing to disclose. A court list states she was was even given a reminder letter.

She was fined £660 and ordered to pay a £66 victim surcharge with £85 costs and six points on her driving licence.

Cllr Cook said she admitted the speeding offence - and had written to the police and is shocked that she is being fined.

She said she will appeal to overturn the conviction.

In a statement Cllr Cook, Conservative councillor for Colden Common and Twyford, said: “I shall be making a statutory declaration as what I have been accused of is failure to give information relating to the identification of the driver when in fact my employer gave this information immediately and I duly completed the relevant forms and sent them off. It wasn’t until last week that I was made aware by two letters that didn’t come together but from two different courts informing me that the initial case had been withdrawn.

“From the very start I had pleaded guilty to the offence as I have done wrong and I accept there is a penalty but to be accused of not giving information that is not true whatsoever.”

“It was wrong to have driven at 35 in the 30mph road and this is most definitely not the way that I drive as I am very aware of motorists that drive at speeds especially in villages and blatantly drive so much faster than they should.

“I should like to keep the Chronicle fully informed of what happens in due course.”

Speaking about the original offence - which has been withdrawn, Cllr Cook said: “I admit and I must hold my hand up I was coming back from a meeting and I was caught by the speed camera in Bitterne.”

She said she was shocked when the Daily Echo told her the offence she has been fined for. “I would never not give details about a driver to the police.”

Cllr Cook said following the speeding offence she contacted police several times via phone and responded to letters but her calls were ignored.

She added: “I have written back to the police a number of times and it kept ringing and ringing, and then I wrote them a letter about it.”