High Court Cracks Down on ‘Car Cruising’ Menace

07/07/2017


Judges are anything but powerless when coming to the aid of those whose lives are blighted by the anti-social behaviour of others. In one case that proved the point, a man who engaged in so called ‘car cruising’ in breach of a court injunction came within an ace of being sent straight to prison.

Car cruising – which involves the organised racing of often souped-up vehicles on public roads – was a source of noise nuisance and put the lives of participants and members of the public at risk. The injunction, granted at the behest of a number of local authorities, had banned the activity across an entire region.

The man was identified as one of those who, in defiance of the order, took part in a car cruising event involving around 40 vehicles. He had driven his stripped-down car at speeds of up to 75mph on an urban street before being brought to a halt by a police ‘stinger’ device that deflated its tyres.

After the local authority for the area launched proceedings, the man admitted breaching the injunction and apologised. The High Court observed that he was aware that the order was in place and had engaged in conduct that was obviously dangerous in the full knowledge that what he was doing was wrong.

The Court, however, noted that he was a married father who had received a number of good character references. He had an otherwise almost unblemished record and a sentence of immediate imprisonment was likely to lead to the loss of his employment. In the circumstances, the Court imposed a six-month suspended jail term and ordered him to pay £500 in legal costs.

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