A BUSINESSMAN has been jailed for cheating police speed detectors by using a "jamming" device to block their signals.

Nigel Stephenson had a gadget fixed to the front of his Jaguar which interfered with officers' hand-held speed guns .

Bradford Crown Court heard he was caught out when police could not record his speed on two separate occasions, within four days of each other, last August.

The 65-year-old looked shocked and stunned yesterday as Judge Jonathan Rose told him he would be jailed for two months for two offences of perverting the course of justice.

Stephenson was cautioned by police in April 2010 for using a similar device and last year he was caught speeding twice before he committed the latest offences.

Prosecutor Jessica Strange said an officer tried to record the speed of Stephenson's car using a hand-held detector on the A59, between Bolton Abbey and Harrogate, but was unable to despite three attempts.

She said the hand-held device was displaying an error code and there was also audible feedback coming from it.

Four days later the Jaguar was spotted on the A629 at Crosshills - again the hand-held detector failed to take a reading.

Both incidents were captured on video and Miss Strange said the officers believed the Jaguar had been fitted with a device to prevent its speed being recorded.

Police went to Stephenson's home in Ghyll Close, Steeton, near Keighley, last October and arrested him on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.

When the Jaguar was examined it was found to have a Snooper mounted on the dashboard, which alerted the driver to the presence of speed cameras, and a "jammer" device, which interfered with speed detection devices, was fitted to the front of the car.

Judge Rose ordered the destruction of the two devices, banned Stephenson from driving for six months and ordered him to pay £1,000 costs.

In mitigation, Stephenson's barrister, Gerard Doran, said his client was a man who had previously led a very positive and successful life and he was worried his business might now be at risk.

But Judge Rose emphasised that Stephenson was not the victim and described him as the perpetrator of two serious offences of perverting the course of justice.

"The victims of your offending are those who drive on the roads and abide by the speed limits imposed by law - imposed for the safety of everybody," said Judge Rose.

The judge said the caution in 2010 had been a warning to Stephenson, but it was ignored in 2014 when he committed two speeding offences and subsequently equipped his car with devices so that he could avoid the law with impunity.

"You will understand, as will others who choose to spend significant amounts of money equipping their car so that they can break the law as they wish, that prison is the outcome for offences such as this," he said.

After the case, PC Andy Forth, of North Yorkshire Police, said: "The sentence handed out to Mr Stephenson reflects how seriously the criminal justice system takes attempts to pervert the course of justice.

"Having previously been issued with a caution for a similar offence, Mr Stephenson chose to ignore that warning and believed he could cheat the laws that are made to protect road users."