A MAN has been jailed for using a 'laser jammer' to circumvent being caught by speed camera vans.

Michael Twizell, 58, drove past a speed camera van near Harrogate but illegal technology interfered with the police-controlled camera.

The incident happened whilst he was driving on a stretch of the A658 last February.

Once passed, the van's operator detected an error code, which led to an investigation into Twizell by North Yorkshire Police.

Twizell of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire was later found to have installed technology to the front of his car, which had caused deliberate interference.

At York Crown Court, the judge said the police: "Have a duty to protect us from speeding vehicles," and the device used interferes with that "process."

The judge also said Twizell had perverted the course of justice and said the courts "must stop people offending in this way."

Twizell was sentenced to three months in jail and ordered to pay a fine of £1,500 for perverting the course of justice.