A MOTORIST attempted to evade the law by fitting a 'laser jammer' to his sports car which had the effect of rendering police speed cameras useless, a court heard.

Eric Craggs, 68, who drives an Aston Martin sports car, twice avoided apparent detection by the same police officer who was holding a speed camera device and aiming it at the front of his vehicle as she saw it approach on the early evening of August 1 last year.

The officer, PC Lorraine Williams, of Cleveland Police's camera enforcement unit, was unable to record the speed Mr Craggs was travelling at with her device displaying an 'error' message.

Teesside Crown Court heard how PC Williams had also failed to register the speed of the pensioner's car some nine months earlier when she again attempted a reading at the same location, Central Avenue, Stockton, and received another error message.

On both occasions a rectangular object was seen attached to the front number of plate of Mr Craggs' car.

The jury in Mr Craggs' trial was told that the defendant had the laser jammer fitted to his car when he took it to be serviced at a car dealership off the A19 near Houghton-le-Spring and was invoiced for the cost, £443.

However Mr Craggs, who denies doing an act intended to pervert the course of justice between July 15, 2009 and August 12, 2013, claims he had not instructed anybody to fit the jammer device and had no knowledge of it.

Police eventually seized the Aston Martin and sent the equipment fitted to it for tests. They found that it did interfere with the lasers used in their speed camera devices.

Mr Craggs' car also featured a speed detection system with an audio and visual alarm which sounds when the vehicle is range of such devices, although this in itself is not illegal.

The smartly dressed pensioner, who wore a pinstripe suit, used a hearing loop to listen to the evidence against him as the prosecution outlined their case.

The trial of Mr Craggs, of Junction Road, Norton, Stockton, is expected to last between three and four days.

The case continues.