Land Rover driver caught on camera fined £1,000 after cyclist injured on Northamptonshire lane

A driver who injured a cyclist on a Northamptonshire country lane has been fined more than £1,000 after being caught on camera.

Video from a helmet cam showed Paul Nigel Miley, aged 52, driving a Land Rover Defender past a group of riders on a single-track road near his home in December 2020.

Miley initially denied driving without due care and attention claiming he had slowed down.

But footage showed the vehicle continued at speed, forcing its way past and causing one of the cyclists to fall off her bike.

The video was sent to Northamptonshire Police Operation Snap online portal and when reviewed by police officers, the video proved beyond doubt that Miley had shown no consideration for other road users.

MIley, of Main Street, Ashby St Ledgers, pleaded guilty at Northampton Magistrates Court on March 18 and was fined £1,008, ordered to pay £100 in costs and a £101 victim surcharge. He also had five points added to his driving record.

PC Mo Allsopp-Clarke, of the county’s Safer Roads Team, said: “Miley initially pleaded not guilty to the offence, claiming he had driven extremely slowly past the group and was unable to move further across.

“But the video evidence clearly showed that Miley had no consideration for the cyclists on that day.

“His driving fell below the standard of a competent and careful driver and could have very easily ended in tragic consequences.

“Drivers should always try to give cyclists and other vulnerable road users at least 1.5 metres of space and pass slowly.

"In this instance, on this road, that would not be possible so the correct thing to do would have been to come to a stop to allow the cyclists to pass safely.

"It takes a couple of seconds and then everyone can continue their journey in safety.”

Operation Snap was launched to allow people to report driving offences by uploading video evidence and completing a form, which automatically creates a witness statement.

Reports are then triaged by trained police staff, who check the footage to ensure it falls within the scheme's remit and contains clear views of an offender’s number plates so they can be identified.

The team only has 14 days to investigate any offences and members of the public are asked to submit their videos as soon after the incident as possible to allow the maximum time for the footage to be reviewed.

Previous incidents saw a driver overtaking on solid white lines and driving towards oncoming vehicles on the wrong side of a traffic island. They received a suspended 12-week jail sentence and a two-year ban.

PC Allsopp-Clarke added: “The success of Operation Snap is down to the continued support from the public, who enable us to take action against driving offences we otherwise wouldn’t see.

“Hopefully this case 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.”

■ For more information about Operation Snap or to submit video footage, click www.northants.police.uk/OpSnap