AssetID: 55050012
Headline: Caught by her own camera: Mum convicted of dangerous driving after telling child to film her chasing driver who had clipped car
Caption: An irate motorist who gave chase after another driver clipped her car ended up in court herself thanks to her own child’s video footage. Judy Keelan was so enraged when her wing mirror was hit, catching her daughter’s long hair in the process, she followed the other driver for four minutes along roads in Strood, getting her teenage daughter to video what was happening on her mobile phone. Her son was also in the vehicle at the time. However, when she reported the matter and presented the video to the police - as evidence of the other motorist’s bad driving - they used the footage to prosecute her for dangerous driving. The 42-year-old had been at the wheel of her Kia Soul Connect and was near Wainscott when the incident happened on January 17 last year. Keelan, of Kingswear Gardens, Strood, was later charged with dangerous driving and admitted the offence when she appeared in court in June. The case was adjourned for reports to be prepared and she returned to Medway Magistrates’ Court on August 28 for sentencing. The court heard Keelan drove dangerously in Wulfere Way, then Four Elms Hill roundabout, Hoo Road, Hollywood Lane and Holly Road. Terry Knox, prosecuting, said: “She was driving her vehicle and she had an argument with someone who she felt had been poorly driving, and what unfolds was caught on video. “She felt she had the right to pursue the other vehicle with the intention of telling the police [about the poor driving]. “She had a passenger in the car, and they were recording what happened on their mobile phone. The footage was taken by a child in the car.” Magistrates were told the incident started near Station Road in Strood, when Keelan was indicating to turn right. After the clip to her Kia she confronted the man, then got back in her car and increased her speed to follow him. The mobile phone footage, which was played in court, showed her pushing through a gap in traffic and mounting a grass verge to get behind the other driver and then opening her window to shout at him. She also almost hit another vehicle as she pulled up alongside it. Keelan followed the first vehicle around a roundabout several times in a bid to get closer and managed to get the driver’s number plate, but could also be seen driving erratically in the Wainscott area and then calling her partner to tell him what was happening. Mr Knox added: “She overtakes various vehicles, tooting and honking her horn and can be heard in the footage getting a warning from her partner not to drive like a d***head. “She admits in interview she confronted the man and then got back in her vehicle to follow him, not wearing her seatbelt.” Mr Knox added that “her speed was inappropriate” and she was “shouting that she would attack his car”. The court heard that the initial incident was nothing more than Keelan’s wing mirror being pushed back. The other motorist was spoken to by the police and no further action was taken. However, the court was also told that Keelan, who had no relevant previous convictions, thought the other driver was also responsible for stealing a car from her on a previous occasion. She claimed she was angry, not only because he’d hit her wing mirror and caught her daughter’s hair, but because she had reported the earlier theft to police and nothing had happened, and that was why she had followed him. Magistrates heard that despite being given an interim ban when she pleaded guilty, being disqualified from driving would have a massive impact on Keelan as she often ferried family members to hospital appointments. Her daughter would also have to sell her horse as she would no longer be able to take her to look after it. She had made a momentary decision to follow the car and regretted it, the court was told. Magistrates banned her from driving for a year and placed her on a 12-month community order, which will include 100 hours of unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation sessions. She was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £114 and £85 court costs. The chairman of the bench added: “Don’t do it again. You had children in the car and it’s not a great example to set.”
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