A SPEEDING motorcyclist who was banned for six months and jailed for two for using his feet to obscure his registration plate from police cameras has had his disqualification overturned and his sentence halved by appeal judges.

Twice last year, Alexander James Bell, 21, of Mayflower Road, Southampton, was caught on camera speeding in 30mph zones, but he shifted his body to cover the registration plate with his feet.

Southampton Crown Court imposed the sentence last month after he admitted two counts of perverting the course of justice.

Aside from losing weeks of his life to prison, the driving ban, which has been overturned by Mr Justice Penry-Davies and Mr Justice Foskett, could have had a terrible effect on Bell's family.

The appeal court heard that Bell, a transport clerk for the Coop, was the family bread winner.

His wages went to support his widowed mum and younger siblings and paying their mortgage.

Losing his licence could have resulted in the loss of his job. He regularly has to travel 40 miles to work in the very early or late hours when no public transport is available.

Today, his barrister, Jonathan Simpson, told the Court of Appeal how Bell had lost his father aged seven. He had worked hard at school before getting his Co-op job.

He said that, although Bell was released from prison after serving only 11 days - thanks to recent early release provisions - he was desperate to see his record wiped clean, fearing the punishment would remain with him, holding him back for life.

He told the judges how, when it had come to sentencing, the Crown Court judge had been under the misapprehension that two three-point penalties for the speeding offences would take him above the 12-point limit and result in an automatic ban.

Allowing the appeal, Mr Justice Penry-Davey said that, although a disqualification may have been appropriate, it would be wrong to impose one when it was unknown what was in the sentencing judge's mind. He said the prison term, although justified, was too long. The judge reduced it to one month.

"As the sentencing judge pointed out, Bell took deliberate and potentially dangerous steps to reduce or avoid any risk of his being prosecuted, brought to book and ultimately probably being disqualified,"

he said.