A CASE of mistaken identity led to a Swindon man appearing before magistrates to pay a £660 fine for driving without a licence - despite the fact that he had never owned a car or a driver's licence in the first place.

Paul Turner, of Tydeman Street, stood bemused in the dock at Swindon Magistrates' Court on Monday after he was accused of not paying the fine or the £90 in costs or the £153.34 in back duty car tax he was also supposedly ordered to pay on April 6, 2016, after being found guilty of driving down the A2 in a Chrysler without a valid licence.

Mr Turner, 36, said: "I don't drive, I've never owned a vehicle or owned a licence."

The court heard that it had transpired that a different Paul Turner, who had an address in Swanscombe in Kent, was the guilty party responsible for the driving offence.

The court records for that Paul Turner apparently lacked a date of birth and, for reasons none of the magistrates could discern, this error lead to a completely different and completely innocent Paul Turner being brought to face justice instead.

Defending himself in court, Mr Turner gave evidence declaring his lack of driving history and mentioning that he had never lived in Kent.

This evidence will be sent to the fines office to show that they had the wrong man.