Suspended sentence for Safestyle UK advert star in driving case

Jeffrey Brown, 45, was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, when he appeared at Bradford Crown Court yesterday, having earlier admitted dangerous driving.

The Safestyle UK advert star was filmed after a couple travelling in a car behind contacted police because they were concerned about his driving.

The court was shown footage of the car crossing white lines and driving on the wrong side of the road on the main road between Harrogate and Skipton in the early hours of June 4 last year.

Brown, who is a canvass training and development manager as well as a motivational speaker, overtook the couple as they were leaving a roundabout, the court heard.

David Bradshaw, prosecuting, said: "He had his full headlights on, came very close to the car and he was travelling at speed. He went on the offside of the road and remained on the offside of the carriageway for some distance."

The couple contacted police after seeing Brown "driving erratically all the time" and "going from one side of the road to the other".

They eventually managed to stop him and said police had been informed but he drove off.

Police found the car empty at Skipton Auction Mart.

When Brown was questioned the following day he claimed he had a medical problem and that he had formerly been chased by someone with a view to hijacking the car.

The court was told Brown, who does "an enormous amount" of charity work, had spent the day at York Races, where he hosted ex-servicemen before an evening at an auction with Help For Heroes.

Defending Brown, Joe Boyd said: "Normally he would have a driver with him. On that occasion the driver was ill. By 1am the defendant had been on the go in a very stressful situation for a very considerable period of time.

"He was effectively using the white line as the guiding line as he went along the road. He fully accepts that it is a very bad piece of driving."

Mr Boyd said his client was "mortified" he had behaved in such a way.

But Recorder Carl Gumsley told Brown that if he was tired he should have stopped.

He commended the couple who reported and filmed Brown for their actions.

Brown, of Corn Mill Court, Altham, Accrington, Lancashire, will also have to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and pay 2,800 costs. He was disqualified from driving for 18 months and must sit an extended re-test before he can get his licence back.