Irate speeder berated police officer and called him a ‘Rolf Harris’

A speedster with nine points on his licence stopped to insult a police officer operating a mobile speed camera after being caught out again. Michael Cooke was driving along the A393 in Redruth[1] on July 18, 2023, when he was caught doing 37mph in a 30mph zone. Knowing that receiving three more points would make him a 'totter' and he could lose his driving licence, he stopped by the side of the road where the mobile speeding camera unit was and started berating the officer.

A sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court[2] today (Friday, January 31) heard how the 64-year-old from Penmere Close in Helston[3], started saying it was a "money making scheme" and it is "rubbish" and that he would get a driving ban as a result of already having nine points on his licence. The court heard that at one point, Cooke insulted the officer by calling him a "Rolf Harris" and stopped in front of the speeding camera van and gestured at other motorists to alert them of its presence. The police officer radioed in about the incident and moved the van to another location to diffuse the situation, especially since Cooke was so irate.

When he received the paperwork about his speeding, Cooke filled it in by putting someone's else name in despite leaving his real phone number in. Sign up[4] to receive daily updates and breaking news alerts from CornwallLive straight to your inbox He was eventually charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice which he pleaded guilty to.

His defence barrister Ramsay Quaife said Cooke was a man of good character who could have been prosecuted for speeding at the time but wasn't. His Honour Judge Robert Linford told Cooke: "You knew what the potential consequences could be on your driving licence and your job so you went back to remonstrate with the person and made some unpleasant comments and left to alert other road users about the speeding detection device. "You later nominated another driver and filled in the form with someone else's name, which was done to try and avoid appearing before the courts.

"If people were allowed to get away with this sort of behaviour then the whole speeding enforcement regime would disappear. This case cries out for a prison sentence."Judge Linford sentenced Cooke to a 10-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months. He also said that had Cooke been prosecuted for speeding, a totting ban would have put extraordinary hardship on him and did not disqualify him as a result.

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References

1. ^ Redruth (www.cornwalllive.com)
2. ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
3. ^ Helston (www.cornwalllive.com)
4. ^ Sign up (www.cornwalllive.com)
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6. ^ Privacy Notice (www.reachplc.com)