UK Edition
Company director used laser jammer so he could escape fines while giving speed cameras the finger
Company director, Timothy Hill, jammed speed cameras with a laser in order to escape fines whilst sticking his finger up at them, a court has heard.
The 67-year-old fitted a laser jammer to his white Range Rover which meant that his speed came up blank.
Hill drove past mobile speed camera vans on the A19 near Easingwold, Thirsk and Crathorne three times in December and each time he was photographed gesturing to the camera with his middle finger.
But his actions were spotted by police, who noted his distinctive personalised registration plate.
When officers traced the vehicle to Hill’s home in the Yorkshire Dales village of Grassington, the businessman threw the device in the River Wharfe, which runs behind his home.
He also attempted to cheat justice by claiming he was working 60 miles away at the time and was not behind the wheel. But when later questioned, he admitted the offence.
Hill appeared at Teesside Crown Court where he was jailed for eight months and banned from driving for a year for perverting the course of justice.
Although North Yorkshire Police were unable to find out how fast he had been travelling, Judge Simon Hickey said what he had done "strikes at the heart" of the justice system. The judge said he had a duty to pass a deterrent sentence.
After the case, Traffic Constable Andrew Forth said: "If you want to attract our attention, repeatedly gesturing at police camera vans with your middle finger while you're driving a distinctive car fitted with a laser jammer is an excellent way to do it.
"It's also an excellent way to end up in prison.
"As Hill's case shows, perverting the course of justice is a very serious charge which carries a custodial sentence."
“It’s our job to keep road users safe across all 6,000 miles of North Yorkshire’s roads. Mobile safety camera vans are an important tool to do that – they are proven to reduce collisions and they help save lives.
“Drivers who fit laser jammers may mistakenly feel smug about ‘getting one over’ on the police. But we can tell if motorists are using these devices, and we will always endeavour to bring them to justice.”