Texting driver's 'laughing emoji' excuse mocked by police Published duration 23 January 2018

image copyright Twitter image caption The force used 14 emojis to tell the driver's story

A driver who was stopped for texting behind the wheel claimed he was only sending "a laughing emoji" to his girlfriend - prompting police to respond with emojis of their own.

The man was caught by officers in St Helens, Merseyside, using a phone and not wearing a seatbelt.

In his defence, he said: "I was just putting a laughing emoji to my girlfriend."

The force's road policing unit then laid out the whole incident in emojis, including a number six for the number of penalty points the driver received and pound notes for the fine.

A Merseyside Police spokesman said the driver of a Ford Fiesta was stopped by police at 13:45 on Tuesday on St Helens Linkway and given six points and £200 fine.