Sunday 6 December 2015

Dangerous driver is first to be jailed by dashcam footage after motorist video of his reckless overtaking

James Stocks, 24, of Cheshire has become the first person in the UK to be jailed by dashcam footage after a video showing his reckless overtaking move that forced a Ford Transit van off the road was posted online.


Mr Stocks was handed an eight-month sentence after he pulled off two heart-stopping overtakes on the A495 in Shropshire back in April.

The out-of-control driver's black Volkswagen Golf nipped past a silver Ford Ka on a blind bend, causing the Transit van to take emergency action and swerve on to a verge.


The landmark case is believed to be the first time that a dangerous driver has been convicted using dashcam footage posted by a member of the public.

Matt Stockdale, chairman of PoliceWitness, said: 'I formed PoliceWitness after I was almost killed by a reckless HGV driver.

'Frustrated that there were no police to witness what had occurred, I decided to empower the public to assist the police, in order to hold those who flout the law to account.

'To date, nearly 1,000 motorists up and down the country have faced positive formal police action following the submission of dashcam footage by those who call themselves PoliceWitnesses.

'Being banned from driving, or even losing your job following a moment of madness, has often been described as the ultimate price to pay having been caught on video by a dash cam.

'But this case has resulted in a driver losing their liberty and freedom - and in my view rightly so.' 

www.road-vision.co.uk