A WOMAN who allegedly lied to police about who was driving her car after it was caught by a speed camera at nearly double the limit has begun her trial at Oxford Crown Court.

Prosecutors say that as part of the deceit Vanessa Cooke, claimed her uncle, visiting from South Africa, drove the car to collect her son who had injured himself at school during physical education.

The 41-year old of Rye Grass, Woodstock, denies one count of perverting the course of public justice by submitting a 'section 172' driver nomination form with a false name and submitting false documentation to support her claim.

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Outlining the case at the start of her trial yesterday prosecutor Richard Sedgwick told jurors that the lies began when a Range Rover registered in her name was seen driving 53 mph in a 30 mph area on the A44 near Blenheim Palace.

The alleged speeding, he told jurors, happened at 9.13am on the morning of February 6 2017.

When she was later asked to state in writing who was driving Cooke told officers, the court heard, that her uncle, who lives in South African, Tichaona Mutangadura, was behind the wheel.

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Asked for proof of this Cooke later went on to claim that he had gone to Bladon Primary School to pick up her son who had suffered an injury during a PE class after receiving an elbow to the head.

To support this, jurors were told, she supplied documentation purporting to be from the school in the form of an injury 'green slip' dated February 6.

Mr Sedgwick told jurors, however, that the injury occurred on February 10.

He said: "What she has done is nominate somebody who was not the driver at the time the car is speeding and has produced slips, documents, to support her account, from her son's school.

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"The prosecution don't have to prove who was the driver [...] the prosecution say you can be quite sure that she is guilty."

Taking to the witness box a teaching assistant at the school, who cared for Cooke's injured son, Hayley Simpson, said that PE classes were never held in the morning. Answering why the date on the 'signed green slip' was for February 6 she said she was not working with any classes that day.

Cooke denies any wrong-doing and the trial, expected to last two days, continues.