Driver fined for fibs about stolen cargo
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• A truck driver has become one of the first people in the country to receive a new spot fine after lying to the police about being hijacked when his £10,000 load was stolen.
The driver, who was delivering magazines and phone cards for retailer WH Smith, claimed he had been threatened at gun. point by three men when he stopped at traffic lights near Wolverhampton last week.
But Superintendent Peter Goodman of West Midlands Police says the man had actually left his 7.5-tonne vehicle with the keys in the ignition when he went to buy a snack. "We obtained some CCTV footage which conflicted with the evidence he had given us," Goodman reports.
The driver was issued with an £80 fixed penalty fine because the offence did not justify the amount of police time necessary to take him to court: "It was a quick, sharp lesson," says Goodman.
The vehicle was recovered but WH Smith is appealing for help in tracing the stolen cargo.