A company director who fitted a laser jammer to his Range Rover and made rude gestures as he drove past police safety cameras has been jailed.

Timothy Hill, 67, threw the device in a river behind his home in Grassington when he found out that officers had launched an investigation.

But today he was jailed for eight months at Teesside Crown Court and banned from driving for a year for perverting the course of justice.

Hill drove past North Yorkshire Police’s mobile safety camera vans on the A19 near Easingwold, Thirsk and Crathorne on three occasions in December.

On all three occasions, he was photographed gesturing at the camera with his middle finger. Police also detected a laser jammer on his white Range Rover.

Officers began an investigation and Hill initially lied about where the vehicle was and tried to destroy the jammer.

But after officers visited his home and interviewed him about the incidents, he admitted he had fitted the device to his car.

Police were unable to ascertain his speed but charged him with perverting the course of justice, which he pleaded guilty to at court.

The judge who jailed Hill said such actions “strike at the heart” of the justice system and his sentence must act as a deterrent to others.

Traffic Constable Andrew Forth, who led the investigation for North Yorkshire Police, said afterward: “If you want to attract our attention, repeatedly gesturing at police camera vans with your middle finger while you’re driving a distinctive car fitted with a laser jammer is an excellent way to do it.

“It’s also an excellent way to end up in prison. As Hill’s case shows, perverting the course of justice is a very serious charge which carries a custodial sentence.

“It’s our job to keep road users safe across all 6,000 miles of North Yorkshire’s roads. Mobile safety camera vans are an important tool to do that – they are proven to reduce collisions and they help save lives.

“Drivers who fit laser jammers may mistakenly feel smug about ‘getting one over’ on the police. But we can tell if motorists are using these devices, and we will always endeavour to bring them to justice.”

Last modified: April 23, 2018