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PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 08:45 
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The Guardian

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Driver caught by camera he tried to blow up

Lee Glendinning
Thursday August 10, 2006
The Guardian

Craig Moore thought he had outsmarted the speed camera which photographed him as he rushed through Greater Manchester. He went home, put together an explosive device with a substance normally used to weld railway lines, returned to the scene, and blew it up. Evidence destroyed. Fine avoided.

What the 28-year-old railway worker from Doncaster did not realise was that images of his van speeding through Mottram Road, Hyde, were stored on a disk in the base of the camera and survived unscathed. But, worse still, the blast triggered the camera mechanism to take a second picture of his van and its registration number. Now, instead of a speeding fine, he faces 10 years in jail.

Moore, who already has previous convictions for driving while disqualified, having no insurance and car theft, admitted destroying property at Minshull Street crown court, Manchester, yesterday.
Had he simply accepted the original speeding offence it is likely he would have been fined £60.

While none of the circumstances surrounding his action were aired in open court, sources close to the case said Moore already had several points on his licence and feared losing it if he was given a further three points. As a consequence, he would also lose his job.

"He went to great lengths to cover his tracks and escape the sack," one court source said ... But blowing up the speed camera really takes the biscuit."

So, after the camera captured him speeding on August 14 last year, he acquired a quantity Thermite, a powdery mixture of aluminium and iron oxide that gives out enormous heat once ignited.

The blast caused £11,700 worth of damage.

Moore has been remanded conditional bail until September 6 when he will be sentenced.


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Now, instead of a speeding fine, he faces 10 years in jail.


It'll be interesting to see how much of an example they set by this.

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PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 09:33 
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Dixie wrote:
Moore, who already has previous convictions for driving while disqualified, having no insurance and car theft


Why did it take the destruction of a speed camera before they decided to this b£$%^£d out? I bet they would not threaten him with ten years in jail for setting light to one of the cars he stole.


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PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 09:44 
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So let me get this clear, driving while disqualified, having no insurance and car theft are seen as less serious offences than blowing up an inanimate object.

I can't make a reasoned judgement on this. any comments?

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PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 09:49 
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Thermite doesn't 'explode' either does it? Even a 'whoosh' is a bit strong.

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PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 10:15 
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Did the heat generated really cause the camera to take a further 'shot' and just happen to get his van, with it's reg. no. identifiable in the picture. More likely the original film survived and the investigation of those caught earlier revealed a likely suspect following which investigations indicated him as having the motive, access to the thermite and the opportunity.
Then it may have been 'bluff & bluster' until he admitted it.
It all sounds a bit unlikely really.


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PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 12:49 
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SafeSpeed wrote:
Thermite doesn't 'explode' either does it? Even a 'whoosh' is a bit strong.
but it does produce a fierce heat, enough to weld steel rails together.


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PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 12:59 
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So, I suppose that the moral of the story is "Don't blow up a camera that has just nicked you... Blow another one up instead." :twisted:

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PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 13:12 
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Thermite :twisted:
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 16:36 
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What kind of device stores the images on a disc in a seperate box anyway?
Ooh thermite sounds fun.

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PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 17:08 
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I don't have much sympathy for the guy, but I am concerned that the camera can be set off like that. Can it be set off by loud nosies, wind, earth tremors? Is it a type with a secondary check?


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PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 17:18 
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I've seen a gatso set off by a stationary bus.
If it was a road sensors based device then maybe the incoming wires melted and joined together quickly?
I suppose in all cameras systems there will be one point where you apply voltage or create a short and the camera fires, this could have been hit before it all melted.

Maybe it didn't get set off at all and they are lieing.

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PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 17:21 
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there was a case of a drunk caught burning a scamera - the magistrates refered it up because they wanted to give more than their max sentence - If I remember correctly he got jailed for 4 months


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PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 17:37 
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Ziltro wrote:
Maybe it didn't get set off at all and they are lieing.


:yesyes: Or twisting. Maybe a CCTV camera. Maybe the evidential photo from the alleged speeding offence.

NO WAY did the speed camera spuriously photograph its attacker!

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PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 18:06 
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Ziltro wrote:
What kind of device stores the images on a disc in a seperate box anyway?
Ooh thermite sounds fun.

You obviously need to watch BRAINIAC - Science Abuse on Sky TV - they use thermite to destroy something most weeks, and ALWAYS blow up a caravan or two with a variety of gases and explosives.
Richard Hammond from Top Gear presents, while "professor" Mai Ang Lee destroys a common object with a flame thrower each week in the new series, and you have the duration of the adertising break to determine what it was.

Of course I only watch it because both my children enjoy it, and it has nothing to do with Mai Ang Lee's presence! :roll:
They did place a plant pot of thermite on the bonnet of a Golf - and it melted it's way down into the engine block! When placed on the roof of a vehicle, the shell was destroyed completely.
Anyone need any powdered magnesium? :twisted:

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PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 19:02 
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Or try this one:

The Times

Angry driver blew chance of beating speed camera ticket

This one just says that the image was stored safely in the machine's base.

The camera was probably a Gatso and - knowing Tameside - was most likely not painted yellow. Have a look here (Mottram Road, Hyde):

Cheshire camera locations

In the possibly unlikely event that the camera really did photograph both him and the car as he tried to blow it up, I guess the moral is:

When blowing up a speed camera, make sure that you and your vehicle are on the opposite side from the camera. :lol:

Whereabouts is the film stored in a Gatso?

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PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 19:13 
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nedsram wrote:
Whereabouts is the film stored in a Gatso?

In the main unit. That's why it is at an angle so they can lower and raise it easily. I would guess the film is pretty muhch directly behind the lens which is behind the top left hole.
Truveols, I believe, are the same.
Redspeed units don't have any storage. (or not for long anyway, send over telephone lines.)
Peek... I would guess in the main unit too as they are mounted at an angle to be lowerable.
SPECS... yes, data stored seperately. But who would get up that high to do a thermite reaction on top of one? I wouldn't.

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PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 19:23 
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Zamzara wrote:
but I am concerned that the camera can be set off like that........

Actually that makes good design sense.
A 'black box' type recording device triggered by a tamper sensor is a common method to log an unexpected event or failure. If that was the aim then in this case it was very successful.


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PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 20:31 
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Ooohh!

Ive always felt that builders foam is a better technique than explosives! Though I can understand how explosives may be more satisfying :twisted:

(In my *nastier* moments I have also thought that "Analy inserted" builders foam would represent a suitable punnishment for sex offenders! :evil: )

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PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 21:28 
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Quote:
Dusty
(In my *nastier* moments I have also thought that "Analy inserted" builders foam would represent a suitable punnishment for sex offenders! )


Or Pratnership bosses :lol:

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PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 21:28 
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Dusty wrote:
(In my *nastier* moments I have also thought that "Analy inserted" builders foam would represent a suitable punnishment for sex offenders! :evil: )


That's a cracker! :rotfl:

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