A driver who set fire to a speed camera in an attempt to avoid a driving ban inadvertently alerted police to a cannabis farm in his basement.
Adrian Smith was snapped by a fixed roadside speed camera on the A57 near Dunham Bridge, Lincolnshire, in February.
The nightclub bouncer mistakenly believed he would receive six points for being 8mph over the 60mph limit, and feared that would result in him losing his licence due to previous endorsements.
Instead of waiting for a speeding ticket to arrive in the post, Smith returned to the speed camera the following day and set fire to it using petrol and old tyres, causing around £24,000 worth of damage.
Unfortunately for him, his actions were caught on a separate speed camera, which led police straight to his door. It was then that they discovered that Smith had been growing cannabis on a large scale in his basement.
Smith was sentenced to two years in prison after admitting arson and cannabis cultivation with intent to supply, at Lincoln Crown Court.
Handing down his sentence, Judge Sean Morris said: "You are not the first person to stand before me for setting fire to a speed camera. People need to know that anyone who does that will go to prison,"
Adrian Smith was snapped by a fixed roadside speed camera on the A57 near Dunham Bridge, Lincolnshire, in February.
The nightclub bouncer mistakenly believed he would receive six points for being 8mph over the 60mph limit, and feared that would result in him losing his licence due to previous endorsements.
Instead of waiting for a speeding ticket to arrive in the post, Smith returned to the speed camera the following day and set fire to it using petrol and old tyres, causing around £24,000 worth of damage.
Unfortunately for him, his actions were caught on a separate speed camera, which led police straight to his door. It was then that they discovered that Smith had been growing cannabis on a large scale in his basement.
Smith was sentenced to two years in prison after admitting arson and cannabis cultivation with intent to supply, at Lincoln Crown Court.
Handing down his sentence, Judge Sean Morris said: "You are not the first person to stand before me for setting fire to a speed camera. People need to know that anyone who does that will go to prison,"
"These speed cameras save lives. They moderate people's driving. This county has the worst roads in England for death and serious injury. That is why we have so many speed cameras.
"People who set fire to speed cameras must realise the consequences are a hundred times worse than taking the fine. A custodial sentence is inevitable."
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