Former lord speaker Frances D’Souza faces suspension from the Lords after allegedly trying to influence a police investigation into speeding offences.
In a letter to Mark Rowley, Lady D'Souza expressed her concern that if she were to be prohibited from driving due to exceeding the speed limit in a 20 mph zone, she would have to stop going to parliament.
According to the Met police, they had thought about opening a criminal inquiry into the alleged attempt to sway the commissioner but ultimately decided against it. In order to determine if the letter violated the code of conduct, it was subsequently forwarded to the House of Lords conduct committee.
D'Souza challenged the sentence, which was an eight-week restriction suggested by the Lords for attempting "to influence a live police investigation," but he did not contest the case.
While acknowledging that it was a "trivial matter" for the Met, D'Souza's letter, written on House of Lords notepaper, stated that she lived "deep in the countryside with no local bus services and unsuitable train schedules."
A "fair response for exceeding the speed limit while we are all still learning what a 20 mile speed actually feels like," she questioned, was a ban.
"If my speedometer or your radar is entirely accurate in recording 21 miles instead of 20?"
D'Souza also asked.
D'Souza admitted that her letter was "inappropriate," adding,
"With the benefit of hindsight, I deeply regret it,"
but the conduct committee's assessment said the suggested punishment was "unduly severe."
She informed the committee that she had previously met Rowley through the Westminster Abbey institute and that a colleague peer, a former Met commissioner, had suggested that she write to the appropriate head of police.
The committee concluded that D'Souza "abused her privileged position as a house member to improperly influence an investigation." Nobody outside of parliament would have had this kind of advantage.
D'Souza was then charged with speeding offenses and sent to appear in a magistrate's court.
What specific evidence was used to conclude that D’Souza attempted to influence the police investigation?
She wrote a letter on official House of Lords stationery addressed to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley which addressed her concern about multiple 20mph speeding fines, accumulated penalties of £400, and the potential for losing her driving license due to acquiring 12 penalty points.
She asked whether either her speedometer or the police radar was accurate for the offense, as she thought she was only slightly exceeding 20mph.
While the speeding offenses were still being investigated, it alerted the House of Lords Standards Commissioner who interpreted her letter as an attempt to obtain a benefit or attempt to influence an investigation rather than following the appropriate legal or court process for her speeding violation allegations.