Woman punished for her own driving after giving footage of a dangerous motorist to the police

A motorist who was almost crashed into by a dangerous driver was punished for her own driving after she sent the dashcam footage of the near-miss to police.

The 59-year-old woman was prosecuted for driving without due care and attention after she uploaded the recording to Northamptonshire Police's online portal.

Officers from Operation Snap - an initiative in which the public uploads dashcam footage for review by police - said they would "not overlook one offence to prosecute another".

The footage led to the conviction of Philip Baxter, 33, from Kettering, after he was seen driving dangerously on the A45 in Northampton.

He swerved across the carriageway in an incident police described as "road rage" on 24 January.

When interviewed by the officers, Baxter claimed the vehicle had a mechanical defect which caused him to swerve, but he was found guilty of dangerous driving at Northampton Magistrates' Court earlier this month.

Baxter was disqualified from driving for 12 months and will have to take an extended driving test. He was also ordered to complete 100 hours unpaid community work and pay £545 costs and £95 victim surcharge.

The footage showed Baxter’s grey Toyota Land Cruiser undertaking the other vehicle as they travelled on the westbound carriageway of the A45.

The other motorist flashed their headlights at Baxter, before moving lanes. At this point, Baxter drove his vehicle across the carriageway, forcing the other vehicle towards the central reservation barrier.

The woman, from Deene near Corby, who uploaded the footage, took the option to complete an education course rather than face prosecution.

The video footage showed she remained in the overtaking lane, when the other lane was clear.

PC Mo Allsopp-Clarke of Northamptonshire Police’s Safer Roads Team said: “The video evidence clearly showed that he deliberately swerved into lane two, causing the other driver to take evasive action to avoid a collision.

"Baxter’s recklessness could have easily ended in tragic consequences, and I’m pleased the courts have dealt with him positively.”

She added that the prosecution of the woman who shared the footage showed that police were being consistent.

“Hopefully this case demonstrates that we take all instances of poor driving very seriously and... it also serves as a reminder that we examine footage for evidence of offences by all parties.

"So, if you commit an offence as well as the person you’re reporting to us, you may face prosecution too. We will not overlook one offence to prosecute another."