A man was wrongly convicted of motoring offences after a dodgy driver gave a false name and address.

Nicholas Boore, 24, only discovered he had been found guilty of driving without insurance and MOT when a friend stopped his father in the street.

The conviction has now been set aside after Mr Boore attended Mid Sussex Magistrates Court for sentencing and explained it was a case of mistaken identity.

Father Geoff Boore, of Faulkners Way, Burgess Hill, said: "As a result of someone's crass stupidity, my son was nearly landed with a record of which he is totally innocent.

"The first we knew of it was when an acquaintance stopped me in the street. We had received no formal notification, no letters, no summons, nothing prior to that.

"They said the vehicle my son was driving was seen to have no tax disc and he was asked to produce his documents at a police station within seven days.

"But this never happened. Nick is not dishonest. They got the vehicle registration correct but that was about all.

"My son just wants to forget about it now but I think it's unfair on the lad that he has been publicly accused of something he didn't do.

"I wouldn't normally make a fuss about this but how many other innocent people have been caught like this? Think of all the money and time wasted."

Sgt Neil Grimwood-Jones of Haywards Heath police said there appeared to have been an "administrative hiccup".

He said: "A driver was stopped and - whether it was Mr Boore or not - they gave his name and address.

"They were asked to produce their documents within seven days and when they didn't the prosecution process was set in motion and a summons sent to Mr Boore's address.

"I can't say whether he received the summons but no one turned up for the court hearing and a guilty plea was entered automatically.

"Mr Boore turned up for sentencing at the end of November and his conviction was set aside when the court accepted it was a case of mistaken identity. In any case, he produced his documents in court.

"This situation probably started quite simply but got more and more complicated. There's no wrongdoing on anyone's part."