J o n
12-07-2005, 12:44
read this, very interesting... found on another website I use...
bit of a lesson to all road and internet users
this story appeared in the Newcastle Journal yesterday and the Sunday Mirror (possibly among others) today. The penultimate paragraph is interesting. They are everywhere :
HEADLINE: Lying speeder caught by web boasts
BYLINE: By The Journal
BODY:
A driver who dodged a speeding fine by pretending his girlfriend was driving has been convicted and electronically tagged after he was caught bragging about it on a website.
Merchant banker Stephen Quas was caught by a mobile camera travelling to his second home in Cumbria at 88mph in his BMW on the M6 in December.
As the view of the driver was blocked by the car sun visor, Quas got his girlfriend, Isabelle Fortot, to take the blame.
But Quas, who lives in Clapham, South London, and also has a home at High Barkhouses, Cockermouth, boasted about his dodge on the forum of website Pepipoo.com which describes itself as "helping the motorist to get justice".
He wrote: "The photo doesn't show my face so I guess my girlfriend, who rarely drives, will have just got her first points".
The banker was tracked down by Cumbria police, who monitor the site, and yesterday he and Fortot, who are both in their early 30s, had community service orders imposed on them.
They were also electronically tagged after admitting perverting the course of justice.
Quas was handed 240 hours of community service, while Fortot was given 200 hours. The pair were told by judge Barbara Forrester at Carlisle Crown Court they were fortunate to escape going to jail.
Drivers' groups last night warned motorists they are committing a serious offence if they try to cheat by asking family members to take their penalty points.
Quas was tracked down by the Cumbria Safety Camera Partnership who manage the four mobile cameras in the county and are preparing to install eight fixed ones in the next few months.
Mobile cameras carry a powerful 300-600 millimetre telephoto lens which can capture the face of a driver even at high speed.
Safety camera manager Steve Callaghan said: "We always warn someone if they try to claim they weren't the driver and they have the chance to come and see the photos.
"It's a growing concern yesterday six people nominated people of the wrong sex as the offending driver but we give them the chance to change their minds.
"We know this is going on and one of the things we now do is monitor websites and other driver's resources to see what is going on."
AA Motoring Trust head of road safety Andrew Howard added: "People have gone to jail for less than this the fact that this has happened is a warning to drivers if they try this."
bit of a lesson to all road and internet users
this story appeared in the Newcastle Journal yesterday and the Sunday Mirror (possibly among others) today. The penultimate paragraph is interesting. They are everywhere :
HEADLINE: Lying speeder caught by web boasts
BYLINE: By The Journal
BODY:
A driver who dodged a speeding fine by pretending his girlfriend was driving has been convicted and electronically tagged after he was caught bragging about it on a website.
Merchant banker Stephen Quas was caught by a mobile camera travelling to his second home in Cumbria at 88mph in his BMW on the M6 in December.
As the view of the driver was blocked by the car sun visor, Quas got his girlfriend, Isabelle Fortot, to take the blame.
But Quas, who lives in Clapham, South London, and also has a home at High Barkhouses, Cockermouth, boasted about his dodge on the forum of website Pepipoo.com which describes itself as "helping the motorist to get justice".
He wrote: "The photo doesn't show my face so I guess my girlfriend, who rarely drives, will have just got her first points".
The banker was tracked down by Cumbria police, who monitor the site, and yesterday he and Fortot, who are both in their early 30s, had community service orders imposed on them.
They were also electronically tagged after admitting perverting the course of justice.
Quas was handed 240 hours of community service, while Fortot was given 200 hours. The pair were told by judge Barbara Forrester at Carlisle Crown Court they were fortunate to escape going to jail.
Drivers' groups last night warned motorists they are committing a serious offence if they try to cheat by asking family members to take their penalty points.
Quas was tracked down by the Cumbria Safety Camera Partnership who manage the four mobile cameras in the county and are preparing to install eight fixed ones in the next few months.
Mobile cameras carry a powerful 300-600 millimetre telephoto lens which can capture the face of a driver even at high speed.
Safety camera manager Steve Callaghan said: "We always warn someone if they try to claim they weren't the driver and they have the chance to come and see the photos.
"It's a growing concern yesterday six people nominated people of the wrong sex as the offending driver but we give them the chance to change their minds.
"We know this is going on and one of the things we now do is monitor websites and other driver's resources to see what is going on."
AA Motoring Trust head of road safety Andrew Howard added: "People have gone to jail for less than this the fact that this has happened is a warning to drivers if they try this."