Chelmsford van driver prosecuted for horn toot in Braintree
A driver has been prosecuted after an incident outside a busy Essex train station led to an unexpected court case. Jamie Spence, 52, was handed a criminal conviction and ordered to pay £266 after sounding his van horn to get a friend’s attention near Braintree railway station.
Brentwood Live — A driver has been prosecuted after an incident outside a busy Essex train station led to an unexpected court case. Jamie Spence, 52, was handed a criminal conviction and ordered to pay £266 after sounding his van horn to get a friend’s attention near Braintree railway station. The Chelmsford man was spotted by an Essex Police officer on December 4 last year while repeatedly using the horn of his Ford Transit.
According to court documents, PC Asa Smith had begun observing the vehicle after suspecting it may have been travelling above the 20mph speed limit on approach to the station. Read more Essex shop selling 'illegal vapes' to children shut down Man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder as woman left seriously injured Essex roadworks that are the longest running in the UK to enter TWELFTH YEAR In a statement to Colchester Magistrates’ Court, the officer said: “When outside the station, subject vehicle hooted horn a number of times to try and get the attention of a friend, not for the purpose of warning other road users. ” Spence was reported for “sounding an unauthorised audible warning instrument on a vehicle” and later pleaded guilty to the offence.
Magistrate Richard Deacon fined him £146 and ordered him to pay £120 in costs at a hearing on May 12. Court records show Spence had previously been offered the opportunity to settle the matter with a fixed penalty notice but did not respond. Guidance from the RAC states that motorists should only use their horn to warn others of danger or to alert road users in potentially hazardous situations.
The organisation warns that misuse of a car horn is illegal and can result in fines for both drivers and vehicle owners.