A LAVINGTON man had used alternating red and blue lights on a cigarette lighter to pull over a vehicle and claim he was a police officer, Albury Court was told yesterday.
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Cameron Noel Shoesmith was an intoxicated passenger in a vehicle travelling in Griffith Rd about 7.40pm on April 22 when the incident happened.
His vehicle was behind another being driven by a woman, who was accompanied by her two young children.
The woman noticed the vehicle’s lights behind were on high beam and she saw a blue flashing light on the dashboard.
She heard the following vehicle toot its horn and pulled over to the kerb near a car dealership.
Shoesmith got out of his vehicle and asked the woman for her licence.
“No, you are not a police officer,” the woman replied.
But Shoesmith claimed he was a policeman and made another request for her licence.
The woman responded by saying she wanted to see Shoesmith’s identification first.
He went back to the vehicle and it drove off, with the occupants yelling at the woman, but she was unable to understand what they said.
Later Shoesmith made admissions to police about using the cigarette lighter and getting the woman’s vehicle to stop.
Shoesmith, 20, of Henderson St, pleaded guilty to impersonating a police officer.
Solicitor Mark Cronin said it was a spontaneous act by Shoesmith when affected by alcohol.
He regretted his actions which were “a foolish prank”.
Magistrate Tony Murray was told the woman said to police that she was nervous and uncomfortable during the incident.
Mr Murray said it was an aggravating factor that the woman was accompanied by her two young children.
“This was an exceptionally foolish thing to do,” he said.
“It is quite a serious offence.”
Mr Murray said when imposing a $900 fine that there was a degree of planning by Shoesmith demonstrated by his possession of the flashing light.
