Speed cameras are annoying little things, they appear out of nowhere in the strangest locations and can cost drivers a lot of money. Ultimately though, they are there for our safety!
One man, so annoyed at being caught by a speed camera, decided to take matters into his own hands and try and wrangle out of the fines which were mounting up against him.
His cunning scheme? Photoshop.
Jordan Notley, 23, from Edinburgh, was first captured by a speed camera back in December 2016, according to the Mirror.
Notley, a delivery man, sent a letter to the Central Ticket Office stating it could not possibly have been him driving the white van, as his vehicle was off the road at the time.
He also sent what appeared to be a doctored image of his van, claiming his innocence.
Then again, in April 2017, the same vehicle was caught speeding in the same area – once again Notley sent another image, trying to prove he was not on the road at the time.
However, the authorities were wise to his cheap tricks, and Notley has now been jailed for six months for two counts of perverting the course of justice.
Inspector Steve Minnikin, of the Mobile Support Group, said:
This case and subsequent period of imprisonment is reflective of certain members of society not willing to accept their responsibilities and engaging in what is nothing short of a criminal activity to cover their tracks.
It is form of fraud and a criminal offence and all for trying to dodge in some cases a relatively minor speeding or other road traffic offence.
The message is simple – don’t do it.
We will find you out and you can answer to the criminal justice system for a far more serious offence, which may ultimately cost you your job or livelihood.
Notley isn’t the only one the traffic officers are catching up with – earlier this year a company director was jailed after fitting a ‘laser jammer’ to his car, driving past speed cameras, and then swearing at them.
Timothy Hill fitted the contraption – which stops mobile cameras from picking up his speed – to his car and stuck up a middle finger as he sped past cameras.
The 67-year-old had fitted the jammer to his white Range Rover so he wouldn’t be caught speeding – but has now been jailed for eight months.
Teeside Crown Court heard how Hill was caught on camera casually ‘flipping the bird’ to cameras on three separate occasions along the A19 in December last year.
Check out the ridiculous footage here:
When Hill found out he was being investigated, he threw the jammer into a river and told officers it couldn’t have been him because he was ’60 miles away’.
However, after being interviewed, he admitted he had a jammer and was the driver flashing the finger at the mobile speed vans.
Traffic police were unable to determine his speed but charged him with perverting the course of justice.
Drive safely, everyone.
If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via stories@unilad.co.uk
Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.