Smoke grenade man sentenced

Jake Sarup, 22, of Foxholes near Driffield, pleaded guilty to causing a public nuisance.

At 5.30pm on the 6 September 2015, Sarup was in the back of a Vauxhall Corsa which was travelling on the A64 in the village of Sherburn, heading towards Scarborough.

Footage captured by the safety camera van shows the effects of the lit smoke grenade on the busy A64 after it was thrown by Sarup. It strikes the rear of the safety camera van which was carrying out speed enforcement at that time.

The smoke resulted in reduced visibility on the A64 and posed a potential safety hazard to other road users.

Sarup was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 120 hours of unpaid work when he appeared at York Crown Court today (04/04/16). He was also ordered to pay £500 in costs and a £60 victim surcharge.

Traffic Constable Andy Forth who attended the sentencing said: “North Yorkshire Police fully supports the prosecution of Sarup. To throw a lit smoke grenade out of a moving vehicle, onto the busy A64 carriageway, was both irresponsible and dangerous.

“It could have resulted in not only a major collision due to the reduction in visibility on the road at that time, but also in damage to property or injury to any other person nearby.”

Dave Brown, Traffic Bureau Manager said: “This deliberate and irresponsible act could have had catastrophic consequences to innocent road users on the road and the court result imposed reflects that public safety concern.”