AN ENGLISH DRIVER has been fined more than £1,000 (€1,170) for turning his car into a fake ambulance.
Shaun Scandle, 31, was handed a fine of more than £1,000 and nine points on his licence when he appeared at North Shields Magistrates Court following the incident on 9 September last.
He had fitted his car with blue lights and a siren in a bid to turn the vehicle into a fake ambulance has appeared in court. Police were called by staff at the Tyne Tunnel near Newcastle who were concerned at the speed the vehicle was travelling through the rush hour traffic.
Officers made enquiries with the North East Ambulance Service who said they had no record of one of their vehicles being in the area at the time.
Northumbria Police visited Scandle and found his white Renault Megane had been covered in livery to make it look like a rapid response vehicle.
They also discovered he ran a business called Hadrian Medical Services offering first aid at events across the North East for which he used the vehicle.
He had been providing first aid for the Tour of Britain cycle race and had been travelling to Blyth to attend a medical incident he had been called to.
He pleaded guilty in order to avoid a lengthy driving ban.
The judge also approved an application by Northumbria Police to destroy the equipment he used to create his fake ambulance.
Sergeant Alan Keenleyside, of the Operations Department, said:
“This may seem like a bizarre story but the reality is Mr Scandle was putting lives at risk through his behaviour on the road”.
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