JAILED: Speeding driver who stuck number plate on another vehicle with chewing gun to avoid fine

Dean Pearson, 51, from Newbold in Derbyshire, was captured driving a Mercedes Sprinter van at 70mph on August 13 on the A64 Malton by-pass in North Yorkshire.

Police say the classification of the vehicle he was driving meant that he was recorded at 10mph over the limit.

After receiving the speeding notification from North Yorkshire Police, Pearson is said to have claimed that his vehicle had been converted to a motorhome and so was able to travel at the alleged 70mph recorded speed.

He challenged the offence by sending photographs through to the force’s Traffic Bureau team as evidence of the vehicle’s conversion.

A North Yorkshire Police officer inspected the pictures and spotted inconsistencies between the images of the vehicle Pearson was captured speeding in and the images of the vehicle he had submitted as evidence.

The livery markings from the bonnet and side of the van had seemed to completely disappear, the grille of the van was a different colour and the number plate of the speeding van seemed to be stuck over another number plate.

When an officer visited Pearson as his home address in Derbyshire and challenged him over the pictures, he admitted that he had stuck his number plate over another vehicle’s registration plate using a piece of chewing gum.

He also admitted to visiting a local motorhome dealer and taking pictures of the interior of a similar vehicle, before alleging that it was the inside of his vehicle

After appearing at York Crown Court, Pearson was charged with perverting the course of justice and the original speeding offence and received a 28 day prison sentence.

Speaking about the case, investigating officer Traffic Constable Andy Forth of North Yorkshire said Pearson “went to great lengths to mislead” the force.

He said: “As a result of his actions, he has ended up with a much harsher penalty than if he had admitted the original speeding offence. Pearson believed he was above the law and that he could lie his way out of any consequence of his actions.

“North Yorkshire Police Traffic Bureau take the matter of road safety very seriously. The roads that the mobile safety camera vehicles are deployed to are locations that we know through intelligence and data, have experienced a high number of collisions – some of them fatal.

“This is why we investigate any challenge or appeal to an offence thoroughly. If an individual chooses to travel in excess of the speed limit and then tries to evade the penalty by deceiving the police, we will ensure that we do everything in our power to bring this person to justice.”