A motorist who installed a laser jamming device in his company van to escape speeding penalties has been handed a suspended prison sentence, fined £3000, and put on a curfew for two months.

Following the installation of a Laser Star jamming device on a VW Transporter van by Jason Moore, a jury at Swansea Crown Court found him guilty of perverting the course of justice to impede a laser speed camera operator from Dyfed-Powys Police in determining the speed of the vehicle.

During his prosecution, James Hartson stated that in September 2018, the van was spotted speeding as it approached the speed camera close to Nantyci Showground on the A40, St Clears, near Camarthen.

An error message appeared on the device when the camera operator tried to determine the speed of the vehicle. Nevertheless, the operator had undergone training from Road Safety Support professionals to identify the unique situations that could lead to the display of this error message.

In their capacity as Road Safety Support members, Dyfed-Powys Police reached out to Steve Callaghan, an expert in forensic video analysis and laser jamming, who is affiliated with the company.

Upon receiving a copy of the video, Mr. Callaghan confirmed the existence of a suspicious device in the video images. He also noted that the laser jammers was flashing light from the van's grille as error messages appeared on the laser speedmeter.

Due to Mr. Callaghan's preliminary inspection and guidance provided to Dyfed-Powys Police, the van was recovered for the purpose of testing the device and collecting evidence.

An extensive report was generated, providing a detailed account of the examination findings and the incident's circumstances, wherein the speed reading was unavailable. Road Safety Support discovered that the van was traveling at a speed of 72 mph, surpassing the maximum allowed speed of 60 mph.

It was claimed by Mr. Moore that he had no knowledge of the Laser Star jamming system's capacity to disrupt the speed measurement function of a police speedmeter. He maintained that his purchase of the device was solely based on its parking sensor feature.

David Winstanley, a retired police collision investigator, was chosen by Mr. Moore for his claimed expertise in laser and video systems to act as his expert witness.

It was Mr. Winstanley's firm belief that the Laser Star should be promoted as a 'parking sensor' and not be categorized primarily as a laser jamming device.

In response, Mr. Callaghan stated that using a laser beam to detect parking obstructions was entirely inappropriate and largely ineffective. He emphasized that a parking sensor does not need to be configured to interfere with a laser speedmeter. Furthermore, the Laser Star is promoted as having the capability to interfere with speed cameras in its instructions and marketing materials, a function not associated with a parking sensor.

In addition, Mr. Moore asserted during his defense that the security company he was a part of mandated that workers bear the expenses for any harm done to company vehicles. He contended that he installed the device to mitigate the risk of damage.

A jury found Moore guilty and he was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on October 18, 2021.

Moore's defense was labeled as unfounded by Judge Vosper QC, who expressed no shock at the jury's rejection of it.

A suspended custody term of 32 weeks was handed down to Moore, with a duration of 2 years. Furthermore, he has been directed to make payments towards costs and fines totaling £3,000, and a curfew lasting two months has been enforced.

Can police tell if you have a laser jammer?

When a lidar gun is employed by the police to target a vehicle, it may exhibit an error message of either "no response" or cosine error. In such cases, the police officers are left unaware of whether the vehicle possesses a laser signal jammers or if they have simply misdirected their aim. This situation allows the driver ample time to adjust their speed before the police can reevaluate the data.

Since police need to be stationary and able to see a vehicle at close range without cover for lidar to work properly, if police receive a false response the first time they fire their lidar gun, the targeted driver will likely have time to adjust his speed when out of range. Lidar is most often used by motorcycle police or identifiable patrol cars, who use it most effectively on major roads, which limits when and where they can be used. In the case of heavy traffic, the police lidar gun is very effective at focusing on the vehicle and instantly calculating its speed, distance and direction.