The son of a Tory councillor who forged proxy votes in a bid to help his father in an election has been jailed for three months.

Ali Munir, of Thorpe Road, Caldmore, Walsall, pleaded guilty to two charges of applying for a proxy vote as some other person, at Birmingham Crown Court.

The court heard that the 30 year-old’s father, Mohammed Munir, a conservative councillor, was standing for election on Walsall Council at the time of his offences on May 1, 2008.

Adrian Keeling, prosecuting, said the defendant played an active role in his campaign team “both in a legitimate fashion and an illegitimate one”.

Mr Keeling said Munir had used the names of real people and filled in forms to get them on the electoral register and then apply for proxy votes, but had used false details and forged signatures.

He said “oddities” were spotted by the council before the election in Walsall took place and the votes invalidated. Sunit Sandhu, defending, said the fraud was amateurish.

Mohammed Munir, 58, was previously cleared of 11 charges after a two day trial at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court.

Judge Melbourne Inman QC told Ali Munir “You submitted fraudulent applications to vote by proxy in relation to two individuals who were, of course, wholly unaware that their names were being used for this purpose.”

He said it was the court’s duty to protect the electoral system and that it had been Munir’s intent to corrupt that system.