The power of telematic - or ‘black box’ - devices has been proven in court after evidence taken from one was successfully used to bring a hit-and-run driver to justice.
Nicholas Regan has now admitted hitting pedestrian Giuseppe Tocco who was walking home from a Christmas celebration in Billericay last December, after denying responsibility for 10 months. Regan had previously claimed his BMW courtesy car had been stolen and was not being driven by him at the time of the accident which left Mr Tocco with serious brain injuries. The data from the telematics device provided unequivocal evidence that he was the driver at the time of the accident. He finally pleaded guilty to the charges including perverting the course of justice and failing to report an accident when faced with overwhelming evidence that he was the driver. The 24-year-old narrowly escaped a jail sentence when he appeared at Basildon Crown Court this week, receiving a nine-month prison term suspended for 18 months and 200 hours of unpaid work.
Data gleaned from telematics devices is becoming increasingly important in catching out motor fraud and dangerous or dishonest drivers, and Essex Police were able to build their successful case against Regan by enlisting the help of anti-motor fraud investigators from APU Ltd. The company recently assisted the National Crime Agency in smashing an Ugandan-based international car crime syndicate, and were amongst the first to identify the ‘flash for crash’ tactic in which gangs would flash unsuspecting motorists out of junctions before deliberately crashing into them.
Neil Thomas, Director of Investigative Services at APU Ltd, said: “This is a great result for Mr Tocco and his family, but also for the police and APU, who’ve been able to present evidence which eventually led to a guilty plea by Regan after months of denials.
“When the police and the private sector work together, the results can be outstanding – APU has the resources and specialist knowledge which can help the police, insurers, company fleets and individual motorists protect their assets and gain justice if they’ve been a victim of motor crime.”
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