A RAGING mum followed a driver who clipped her car – but ended up in court herself for dangerous driving.
Judy Keelan was so enraged when her wing mirror was hit that she followed the motorist for four minutes through Strood in Kent.
Judy Keelan landed herself in court for dangerous driving when her car was clipped[/caption]
The 42-year-old, whose son was also in the car, got her teen daughter to film the pursuit as evidence of the other driver’s bad driving.
But when Keelan handed in the footage to police, she was charged with dangerous driving.
The mum appeared at Medway Magistrates’ Court where she pleaded guilty to the offence, Kent Online reports.
JPs heard Keelan was driving her children in a Kia Soul Connect on January 17 last year when the crash unfolded.
Terry Knox, prosecuting, said: “She was driving her vehicle and she had an argument with someone who she felt had been poorly driving, and what unfolds was caught on video.
“She felt she had the right to pursue the other vehicle with the intention of telling the police [about the poor driving].
“She had a passenger in the car, and they were recording what happened on their mobile phone. The footage was taken by a child in the car.”
Footage released by the CPS showed her giving chase – swerving through busy streets and a roundabout.
At one point, Keelan could be seen pushing through a gap in traffic and mounting a grass verge to get behind the other driver.
She also almost hits another vehicle as she pulled up alongside it and drove at an “inappropriate” speed.
Mr Knox said: “She overtakes various vehicles, tooting and honking her horn and can be heard in the footage getting a warning from her partner not to drive like a d***head.
“She admits in interview she confronted the man and then got back in her vehicle to follow him, not wearing her seatbelt.”
The court heard the initial incident was nothing more than Keelan’s wing mirror being pushed back.
The other motorist was spoken to by the police and no further action was taken.
Keelan claimed the driver had caught her daughter’s hair and believed they had stolen a car from her on a previous occasion.
She has been banned from driving for a year and was placed on a 12-month community order, which will include 100 hours of unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation sessions.
Keelan was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £114 and £85 court costs.
The chairman of the bench added: “Don’t do it again. You had children in the car and it’s not a great example to set.”