Safe Speed Forums

Police career ended by speeding lie
Jun 24 2006

A WELSH mam has been rapped over the knuckles after she took the blame for her police officer son's speeding points in an act of motherly love.

The 54-year-old claimed she had been behind the wheel of the BMW when it was snapped by cameras doing 90mph down an A-road.

But a look at the speed camera tape found that the petite blonde middle-aged woman in no way resembled the stocky, balding man at the wheel.

Yesterday the two were in court together, where the judge told Ann Gilmour he understood that she had agreed to the deception for "the love of her child".

But the career of her 32-year-old son Darren, who is a community support police worker, is in tatters today after the court heard how he persuaded his mam to take the three penalty points accrued when speeding to a football match.

Darren Gilmour already had six points on his licence, and feared that if he had nine points then he might not be able to drive police vehicles.

She agreed, receiving a £60 fixed penalty ticket and the three penalty points.

But police received a tip-off and checked the video film of the original speeding offence near Newport.

It showed a man behind the wheel with three male passengers.

That day, Darren Gilmour was going to the Welsh Cup final to watch Wrexham play in Cardiff and was photographed doing 90mph in a 70mph area.

Both Darren Gilmour and his 54-year-old mother admitted perverting the course of justice - but escaped a prison sentence at Mold Crown Court.

Gilmour, of Strickland Street, Shotton, who was suspended from his job with North Wales Police and who resigned his job this week, was ordered to carry out 100 hours unpaid work and pay ?£600 costs.

His mother, of Clwyd Street in Shotton, was given a conditional discharge for 12 months with £100 costs.

Mr Justice Butterfield told them that they did not belong in the dock of a criminal court and described both as normally highly respectable, hard-working, members of the community.

"You gained nothing and by your conduct you have already imposed upon yourself a very considerable punishment," the judge told Darren Gilmour.

"You have lost your job, your good name and your respect within the community and you no doubt have had months of very real anxiety awaiting the outcome of today's hearing."

The judge said that he had decided not to send him to prison. "I do not think that will achieve anything.

"Prisons are full enough of real criminals without having people like you in there."

But he said that perverting the course of justice was a very serious offence.

"It must be made clear to you and others that those who commit this sort of offence will receive punishment," he said.

The judge then told Ann Gilmour, "The love of a child is entirely understandable. You could have said no, you now wish you had, then he would not be in trouble either.

"But you didn't, you said yes, and you have thrown away your good name, but not for very long."

The judge said that he had no doubt at all that she would never step inside a court again for the rest of her life.

Darren Gilmour admitted that he acted intending to pervert the course of justice - that he persuaded his mother to accept responsibility for a speeding conviction on April 10 on the A449 at Llandenny in Gwent, when he knew that he was the driver of the BMW involved.

Ann Gilmour also faced a similar charge of perverting the course of justice by saying she was the driver.

She told police how she had acted out of the love of her son.

"I was hoping to help him in his career and oh God, now I am sorry," she said.

"I did it for the love of my son. He has done me proud until now."

Defending barrister Alan Wilson, for Darren Gilmour, said that his client had been extremely foolish, putting his good character, his job and his liberty at risk for the sake of very little.

He now hopes to return to being a sheet metal worker.

Defending barrister Paul Smith, for Ann Gilmour, said that she was a respectable middle- aged woman of no previous convictions.

"She knows she could have said no but she was acting like a mother," said Mr Smith.

Is there more to this than meets the eye?

It will be either:

- bragging about avoiding the points to the wrong people
- a neighbour who doesn't like PCSOs
- a family dispute

There are actually quite a few issues here.



The role of football in speeding...



So does motive have an effect on the sentence for perverting the course of justice? (reference the man who moved the 40mph sign = jail)

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

So this is what he does for the day job when not working on SafeSpeed !!!!

ooops

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now retired

So I guess we are officially calling PCSO's police now

Guess it was only a matter of time before the skills were officially downgraded.

Yet again this is a consequence of speed cameras successfully trivialising a motor offence; such that ordinary people as above, view "i'll take your points for you" as no more serious than taking goods back to a shop for a refund.

I bet these convicted justice perverters don't go around robbing banks or dealing drugs, infact I bet they are perfectly normal citizens who anyone whould be happy to live next door to. S

Something somewhere has gone seriously wrong.

So why is it fine to send a nurse to prison for the same offence? but not a police community officer?

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code

i guess that comes down to the judge!

Hi all,

Just been reading your quotes and comments on the story above and I have to tell you that I am Darren Gilmour the Ex-PCSO who perverted the course of justice.

Now I come on this forum not knowing any of you therefore I will not judge you like you have judged me, you know nothing about me as a person or anything about my life.

For the record:

PCSO's stands for Police Community Support Officer, please note the first word POLICE, PCSO's are part of the Police family and I think you will find that the press are calling PCSO's Police and no one else is!

As for the nurse getting sent to prison, do you know any of the facts about the case, did she have previous driving convictions etc?
(I don't make the laws and I have no power to say who gets what sentence!)

As for the tip off, I am unsure who tipped the Police off but it would not suprise me if it was a Police Officer as the relationship between PCSO's and regular Police is some what mixed.

I know that this thread was last posted on Jan 2006, but I felt the need to clear a few things up.

Hope you all ahve a good Christmas and New Year,

Darren

I had a quick read through, and I don't see a whole lot of 'judging you'.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Hi Darren,

Welcome to SafeSpeed. I do hope you do not feel judged reading the comments above; as Paul has done I’ve re-read them and don’t think anything there is derogatory towards you in anyway.

I think you’ll find some sympathy with your position here as it seems that the zealous policing of speed limits are having the very effects you experienced first hand, It seems doubly bad when you lose out on a career because of a wrong decision regarding a trivial offence (Am I right in thinking you were looking to join the police force and now can’t?).

The whole PCSO, HATO and police force debate will continue as long as these organisations exist and those debates are argued here as well as, as you have found, within the organisations themselves.

I say well done on a brave first post and also say please stick around and add what you can to the debate on zealous speed limit enforcement and road safety.

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It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it.

Upton Sinclair

The nurse story is here
She had 9 points and would have recieved a ban, she twice named a ficticious overseas person.

It might have read differently , but I found it a very harsh sentance to send the nurse to prison and then your case was very soon after that and there was disparity in the sentance. I would assume that the nurse had a lower knowledge of the law than a PCSO. In my opinion a PCSO (or any other member of the justice system) should be treated harsher than an ordenary person.
on that thread I wrote

I hope this explains the situation a bit better.

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code

So how is it that there are more people in prison for motoring related offences than burglary.......

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Speed camera policy Kills

Gilly, very courageous of you to come on here and introduce yourself, and I sincerely hope that you have managed to find gainful employment in the interim.

However, what I do find cause for concern, and I am trying not to be judgemental against you personally, is the comment



Whilst the media (and everyone else) are keen to include PCSO's in the 'Police Family' (and thereby 'fudge' the establishment numbers), the fact is that they aren't Police Officers and, dare I say, do not subscribe to the same standards of behaviour.

Whilst across all ranks/functions, there has always been, and I hope will always continue, an attitude of CYA (cover your arse), there will always come a point where a line has to be drawn. Attempting/conspiracy to Pervert the course of Justice is a serious matter, as exemplified by the appearance at Crown Court. Whilst I'm not totally up to speed (wrong word ) on offences, if memory serves me right, this is contrary to Common Law, and carries no maximum sentence.

The manner in which Gilly has phrased the sentence suggests that he feels let down by his colleagues. If that is so then I would suggest that he has been let down by his training. Either that or he should not have been accepted in the first place.

If it was a Police Officer who 'bubbled' him, then too bloody right. The Force (refuse to call it 'Service'), and society, do not need, or want, persons who's values sink so low.

The 'dumbing down' of the position of a Police Officer is of benefit to none.

Gilly your case sadly shows the devastating effect that the draconian use of speed cameras can have on perfectly safe drivers who are just going about their business as lawfully as they reasonably can. I doubt you were of any danger to anyone, or that what has happened to you will make you, or anyone else, a safer driver, or help to reduce road casualties.

What does, however, get up the nose of a lot of drivers is when they see policemen, of whatever type, getting off speeding charges, when the rest of us are shown no leniency, no matter what the circumstances.

The reason for many of us contributing to this forum is because we have had our own experiences of dealing with the police over speeding allegations. I know for myself just how unequal the fight can be, but it makes us all the more determined to do what we can to fight back against the use of speed cameras, which are just doing nothing to improve road safety.

May we wish you well in your new career and hope you will now help the rest of us in the battle against the speed cameras.

Why don't you become a member of Safe Speed and help to support Paul Smith in his campaign to improve road safety, rather than the current government policy of waging war on motorists.

Hi again all,

Sorry if my first post seemed like I was thinking I was being judged, having read through it again I apologise for any confusion!

I am quite happy with the comments people have left and am aware that each person have different views on my case.

At the time of the offence I was training to become a PCSO and already had 6 points on my licence and thought a further 3 points would hinder my career in the Police. It was year later that I was arrested and charged and at that time I was well on my way to becoming a regular officer having passed the assesment etc so my action not only cost me my post as a PCSO but also a promising career with North Wales Police.

For the last 6 months I have been working in a factory just to make ends meet, but on Jan 15th I start a new job as a youth worker so things are looking up for me at the moment on what has been a very difficult year.

Look forward to your comments and sorry again for being arsey at the beginning

Gilly

How do I go about doing this?

Hi and welcome,

To join you can use the links on this page:

http://www.safespeed.org.uk/join.html

Or drop me a mail at memberships@safespeed.org.uk

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Wake me up when the revolution starts
STOP the Toll Tax http://www.traveltax.org.uk

i was always under the impression that they logged the sex of the driver on their database as they issued the NIP's