Woman, 29, stopped by police over car sticker and faced jail
Woman, 29, stopped by police over car sticker and faced jail
Georgia Venables, 29, was pulled over by police after she put the sticker on the back of her Peugeot 108 along with dozens of others
Georgia faced six months in prison and an unlimited fine
A motorist was stopped by police and charged for displaying a bumper sticker. Georgia Venables, 29, had adorned her dark blue Peugeot 108 with the sticker among dozens of others in an attempt to 'customise' her vehicle.
However, she was pulled over by a male police officer earlier this year who claimed the sticker bearing the word 'c***' could potentially cause "offence". She was summoned 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 informed that her trial would commence on Thursday, May 29. However, Georgia disclosed that the case has now been dismissed, much to her relief.
She stated: "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.
Georgia with her decorated car
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"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, from Handbridge, Cheshire, has spent £80 customising her car with over 40 "rogue" stickers over the past two years including one featuring Donald Duck raising his middle finger. Some of the stickers read "s*** box certified" and featured an image of Yoda next to the words "If my driving offends you F off".
Georgia stated: "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 shared that her neighbours and work colleagues found them amusing, with no one taking issue with them. She recalled: "I once had an old man outside a supermarket standing reading them and chuckling. He said I had a good sense of humour."
Georgia revealed she has been stopped by the police five times due to the profanity on her stickers. However, since her most recent court appearance, she explained how the impending trial affected her job as she was required to inform HR.
Georgia was accused of a public order offence, which carries a maximum sentence of six months imprisonment and 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."
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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.
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