Show-off BMW driver from South Shields drove on wrong side of Sunderland roundabout

A show-off dad-to-be who drove his new BMW on the wrong side of a roundabout has been banned from the roads.
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Newly qualified Jack Chadderton, 20, tried to impress a pal by tailgating another motorist on Whitburn Road at Seaburn, Sunderland.

Unbeknown to Chadderton, of East Avenue, near the Nook, South Shields, he was caught on rear-view cam on Tuesday, March 9, 2021.

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And the same car’s front-facing camera then filmed him overtake and misuse the roundabout, South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court heard.

The BMW driver was caught on dashcam footage.The BMW driver was caught on dashcam footage.
The BMW driver was caught on dashcam footage.

Defending himself to the court, Chadderton admitted he had been “showing off” to a front seat passenger friend.

His confession, guilty plea to a charge of dangerous driving and the car’s cam footage, sealed his fate.

He has been disqualified from driving for 12 months and must pay fines and court costs of £677 – and sit an extended test.

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Prosecutor Lesley Burgess told the court: “The witness is a student who was driving a vehicle in front of the defendant’s car.

“They provided dash cam-which shows the defendant driving at Roker. It was a 20mph zone, he was tailgating.

“He has approached and overtaken. The student’s statement says the defendant was putting other drivers at risk.”

In his own defence, spray paint technician Chadderton, who has no previous convictions, said: “It was just showing off. I’d just got the car and I was out with a friend.

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“It was just me being daft. My friend was in the passenger seat.”

Kay Gilbert, chair of the bench, told Chadderton he had been “lucky” not to have caused an accident and described his driving as “a moment of madness”.

She said: “The road at the time was not busy, it was quiet,

“The still doesn’t mean you go around roundabouts on the wrong side of the road, someone could have stepped out.

“You haven’t been in trouble with the police before and we don’t want you in trouble with the police again.”

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Chadderton was fined £538 and must pay £85 court costs and a £54 victim surcharge.

He heard he must sit an extended test before getting his licence returned.

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