Philip Johnson, 38, refused to incriminate himself in court or turn evidence against his companion. Johnson's Vauxhall Vectra received a £60 speed camera ticket last April.

Johnson argued in court that he and Marie Chadwick share the car and often travel the same route. He testified that he could not recall who was driving at the time of the citation. The judge fined him £600 for refusing to identify the driver.

"This fine is totally unjust," Johnson told the St Helens Star. "I've been fined ten times the original speeding charge simply because I own the car, even though the prosecution couldn't prove who was driving."

And the owner of Sylvan Pine in Rainford feels so aggrieved that he's now mulling over the possibility of appealing in the European Court. Mr Johnson added: "I feel I've been made an example of and the speed camera our vehicle was caught by isn't even at an accident blackspot."