A DRIVER who gave the finger to police safety cameras while driving a distinctive car fitted with a laser jammer has been jailed.

Timothy Hill, 67, made rude gestures as he drove past police safety cameras on the A19 near Easingwold, Thirsk and Crathorne on three occasions in December, in his white Range Rover - which was fitted with distinctive private number plates.

Hill, a company director from Grassington, lied to police about the location of the vehicle, and tried to destroy the laser jammer when he found out officers had launched an investigation.

On Monday, he appeared before Teesside Crown Court and admitted he was the driver and had fitted the device to his car. Police were unable to measure his speed, but charged him with perverting the course of justice.

He was jailed for eight months and banned from driving for a year, as the court heard such actions "strike at the heart" of the justice system, and his sentence was intended to act as a deterrent to others.

Traffic Constable Andrew Forth, who led the investigation for North Yorkshire Police, said: "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."