A driver has been jailed for 12 months and banned from driving after he was filmed travelling at 150mph on a Welsh dual carriageway and uploaded the footage to Facebook.
The driver from Morriston in Swansea was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court on Wednesday, November 12, after pleading guilty to dangerous driving.
The incident came to the attention of authorities after GoSafe, the Wales Road Casualty Reduction Partnership, received the video from multiple concerned members of the public.
The footage, recorded on a mobile phone, showed the driver travelling in a black Rolls-Royce on the A449 in Monmouthshire. The video captured both the speedometer displaying 150mph as well as the driver’s face.
The minimum penalty for speeding is a £100 fine as well as three penalty points on a driving licence, but this can increase rapidly to £2,500 if the breach occurred on a motorway.
After reviewing the footage, GoSafe issued the driver a Notice of Intended Prosecution. However, instead of accepting responsibility, he replied by nominating another person as the driver at the time of the offence.
This response triggered additional investigations, as the authorities said they needed to establish whether an “attempt had been made to pervert the course of justice”.
The driver was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay £1,000
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DEVON AND CORNWALL POLICE/GETTYOfficers conducted further enquiries using Automatic Number Plate Recognition data, which confirmed that the Rolls-Royce had been travelling in the area at the time the video was filmed.
They also carried out checks into the driver’s mobile phone activity, confirming that the device was located on the A449 during the relevant time period.
The combination of ANPR records, phone location data, and the video itself, showing his face, dashboard and vehicle interior was enough to place the driver as responsible.
According to court documents, these elements demonstrated both the dangerous nature of the driving and the subsequent attempt to shift blame onto someone else.
The driver was captured going 150mph on the road by ANPR cameras
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PAThe driver ultimately entered guilty pleas to both dangerous driving and committing an act with intent to pervert the course of justice. At Cardiff Crown Court, he was sentenced to a 12-month custodial term.
In addition to the prison sentence, he was disqualified from driving for three years and will be required to take an extended driving test before being allowed to obtain a licence. The court also ordered him to pay £1,000 in prosecution costs.
The case has been highlighted as an example of how digital evidence, including self-posted videos, can play a pivotal role in road safety enforcement.
GoSafe said it was able to act quickly because the footage had been shared by members of the public who were alarmed by the speeds involved.
Drivers can be fined £100 for speeding
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PASuperintendent Simon Barrasford of North Wales Police’s Operational Support Services said: “The vast majority of motorists are safe and competent road users, and it’s imperative that we target those who compromise road safety, and deal with them robustly.
“Far too often, we see the devastating and life-changing impact of serious and fatal road traffic collisions. Lives are changed in an instant because of a wrong decision, or a moment’s inattention as a road user.
“As drivers, we all have a part to play in making our roads safer for everyone.”
He warned that the police carry out regular operations to help keep the roads safe and take action against those who commit offences on the roads.