Appears in Newsflare picks
01:28

Woman faced six months in jail for bumper sticker which read 'don't be a c***'

Content Partner Cover Image
Content Partner Profile Image
Uploaded by a Newsflare content partner

Buy video

A motorist has told of her shock at being pulled over by the police and charged for having a bumper sticker which read: "don't be a c***"."

Georgia Venables, 29, placed the X-rated sticker on the back of her dark blue Peugeot 108 along with dozens of other stickers to 'customise' her vehicle.

However she was pulled over by a male police officer earlier this year who stated the sticker bearing the word 'c***' could cause "offence"."

She was summonsed to appear before Chester Magistrates Court where she pleaded not guilty to displaying threatening/abusive writing/sign/visible representation likely to cause harassment/alarm/distress.

She was released on unconditional bail and told she was due to stand trial on Thursday, May 29.

However Georgia revealed the case has now been dropped, much to her relief.

She said: "I was told by her solicitor that the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the case as they didn't think there was a realistic prospect of conviction."

"I am so relieved. "

"I've been stopped over a previous sticker in the past and the officer asked me to remove it - which I did."

"But this time, I was stopped for no reason and told that I was going to be summoned to court."

"It was the same officer both times."

Georgia, of Handbridge, Cheshire, has spent £80 customising her car with over 40 "rogue" stickers over the past two years including Donald Duck raising his middle finger."

Others read "shit box certified" and and image of Yoda next to the words "If my driving offends you F off"."

Georgia said: "I put them on as I liked how they looked - I never put them on to offend anyone. "

"It gave my car a bit of personality and humour."

She has told how her neighbours and work colleagues never had an issue with them branding them "funny"."

She said: "I once had an old man outside a supermarket standing reading them and chuckling."

"He said I had a good sense of humour."

Georgia has told she has been pulled over regarding her stickers five times - each time it was because they included a swear word.

But since her latest went to court she has revealed how the upcoming trial impacted her work as she had to inform HR.

Georgia allegedly breached a public order offence which has a maximum sentence of six months imprisonment alongside an unlimited fine.

She said: "It wasn't a nice thing to go through."

"I feel that I was targeted because this same officer has pulled me over a few times."

"I always removed them when I was told too. "

"I have made a complaint against a different officer in the past, but nothing happened so this time, I left it."

"I just want the police to leave me alone so I can go about my life because I do like to go for a night drive."

"It's the freedom that helps my mental health, but the police pull me over and it's happened so many times that they know me by my first name."

"From October to January, I was getting stopped twice a week but since I was put on bail for this court appearance, they haven't stopped me once which is I think is very strange."

"I would like to thank people who have given me support but I just want to put it behind me now."

A Cheshire Police spokesman said: "We can't comment on individual cases."

"However we can reassure residents that all stop checks are conducted fairly, responsibly, with respect for people being searched and without unlawful discrimination."

"All checks are also conducted in line with the national guidance."

The Crown Prosecution Service has been approached for a comment.

Categories

Tags

From the blog

Stories not Stock: 3 Reasons Why You Should Use UGC Instead of Stock Video

Video content is an essential part of a brand’s marketing strategy, and while stock footage has been a reliable go-to in the past, forward-thinking companies are looking to user-generated content for their video needs.

View post
Content Partner Cover Image
Content Partner Profile Image
Uploaded by a Newsflare content partner

Buy video