Disgraced former Peterborough MP Fiona Onasanya fails in final bid to overturn conviction

Ms Onasanya was jailed last year after being found guilty of lying over a speeding ticket following a trial at the Old Bailey.

Now the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), her last chance of overturning her conviction, have concluded they cannot refer her case to an appeal. A spokesman for the CCRC said ‘The case is now closed.’

She was given a three month prison sentence, and served just under a month at HMP Bronzefield, but refused to resign from her post, with her defence team saying she was not resigning as her job as MP was ‘her only source of income.’

Despite the guilty verdict, Ms Onasanya continued to deny the offence, and took her case to the court of appeal in March 2019, shortly after her release.

However, judges rejected her submissions, and said there was ‘no basis’ for challenging the conviction.

The decision from the court meant a recall petition was launched, meaning if enough residents in Peterborough signed the petition, she would lose her job.

Ms Onasanya continued to claim her innocence, releasing a video on social media later in the month asking residents to give her another chance and not to sign the petition.

The petition, which cost £500,000, needed 6,967 signatures (10 per cent of the eligible population in the Peterborough constituency) in the six weeks it was open for her to be removed from her post. A total of 19,261 people signed the petition, leading to a by-election.

She was also struck off the role of solicitors as a result of the conviction.

Last week, Ms Onasanya released a book, ‘Snakes and Adders,’ in which she promised to tell her side of the story, after repeatedly refusing interview requests from the Peterborough Telegraph.

MORE: Fiona Onasanya - Timeline of events