A German man has been fined a whopping 12,000 kroner for knocking over a speed camera. The man's push interrupted the police speed measurement.
Frustration over a speed camera ended in a costly conviction in Germany. A man pushed a camera van and interrupted the measurement. The court in Hamm ruled that even temporary disruption of speed control is a criminal offense.
A man from North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, has to pay a hefty fine after he pushed a photo van in frustration at being flashed.
That action resulted in a fine of 1,600 euros, equivalent to approximately 11,920 Danish kroner. The case shows that even minor disruptions to police work can have major consequences.
It all happened in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The man was irritated by being speeded by a speeding ticket. He chose to vent his anger by physically pushing the police equipment.
This is what Auto Bild writes.
The camera van was not damaged by the man's action. However, the push temporarily interrupted the camera's 'work'. For the same reason, the police were unable to measure more drivers with the equipment that day.
The authorities took the matter very seriously. Although no material damage occurred, the man's actions were considered a disturbance of public order. Enough so that the police decided to charge and later indict him for it.
Initially, the man was fined 3,200 euros. This corresponds to about 23,840 Danish kroner. The man refused to accept the large fine.
Speed control disruption legislation
He therefore chose to appeal the verdict. However, he only got some benefit from it, as the fine was halved to 1,600 euros, equivalent to approximately 12,000 kroner. However, the man still disagreed and appealed again.
The case ended up at the Higher Regional Court in Hamm. The lawyers referred to German law along the way. The law is clear regarding disturbance of public order.
According to the law, anyone who prevents or disrupts the operation of any facility is punishable by imprisonment for up to five years or a fine. This applies to anyone who destroys, damages, removes, alters or renders an object unusable.
The Hamm court emphasized that traffic surveillance systems have a high level of protection. It ruled that even a temporary interruption of the equipment's function is punishable. This applies even if there is no physical damage to the camera vehicle itself.
The court ruled that the man's actions fell within the provisions of the law, even though the photo van was only briefly out of service after the push.
Other forms of manipulation are also illegal
The verdict in Hamm is final. The man must pay a fine of 1,600 euros, or approximately 11,920 kroner. The case clearly shows that the German legal system takes speed enforcement seriously.
It's not just physical pushing or vandalism that can be punished. Other actions such as adjusting, covering or blocking a photo van are also problematic.
Using cardboard, paint, or other objects to conceal the lens may be considered a criminal offense, depending on the specific circumstances of the case.
Speed enforcement is a hotly debated topic among drivers. At Boosted.dk you can read more about different types of speed enforcement and the rules for them. You can also find articles about myths and facts about speed cameras.
Previously, we have also written about how a driver became so annoyed by a camera van that he decided to blow it up. Speeding at 100 km/h – driver blew up camera van .
