Handbrake-turning boy racers sentenced for doing doughnuts on Wellingborough industrial estate
Watch the footage of the three drivers doing donuts in front of CCTV cameras
Three drivers caught doing doughnuts on an industrial estate have been hit with penalty points after footage of their showboating was sent to police.
Callum David Oldfield, Derice Davis and Louie Craighead were caught on CCTV in Wellingborough performing doughnuts and handbrake turns on 24 June last year.
The pictures show Craighead, 20, driving his black Ford Fiesta towards the camera at speed and doing a handbrake turn before reversing out of shot as Oldfield and Davis, both 29, drive into the shot.
As Oldfield’s blue BMW 3 Series finishes a spin, Davis joins him in his silver BMW and both drivers briefly drift their cars against each other – simulating a drift battle – before driving off.
The footage of what happened in Sinclair Drive on the Park Farm Industrial Estate was uploaded to Northamptonshire Police's Operation Snap team.
When it was reviewed, police officers concluded that the video proved all three men had driven their cars without due care and attention in a public place.
The trio were summonsed to appear before Wellingborough Magistrates’ Court on 5 February, where they each pleaded guilty to a single charge of driving a vehicle on a road in a public place without due care and attention.
Craighead, of Cross Lane in Aldwincle, was fined £107 and had six penalty points added to his driving licence. He was also ordered to pay £110 costs and £43 victim surcharge.
Davis, of no fixed address, was fined £306, had six penalty points added to his driving licence and was ordered to pay £110 costs and £112 victim surcharge.
Oldfield, of Centenary Way in Raunds, was fined £253, had five penalty points added to his driving licence and was ordered to pay £110 costs and £101 victim surcharge.
Northamptonshire Police's safer roads manager Matthew O’Connell said: “This is one type of doughnut we don’t want to see, and they have no place anywhere on our public roads.
“The irresponsible behaviour of these drivers not only put themselves at unnecessary risk but also other road users. I am pleased the courts have issued robust penalties which may act as a deterrent to others.
“The screeching of tyres can have a negative impact on our local communities, while this type of anti-social behaviour can also be costly to business owners, who are left to clear the tyre debris littered around entrances to their premises."
Operation Snap involves people submitting footage of potential driving offences to police for review.
Mr O'Connell added: “The success of Operation Snap is down to continued support from the public, who enable us to act against driving offences we otherwise wouldn’t see, and we would encourage people to install dash-cams and continue to submit footage.
“Hopefully this case also demonstrates that we take all instances of poor driving very seriously and we will prosecute offenders accordingly, which can only be a good thing to help keep our roads safer.”
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