Man in court over speeding video

Police plan to use a driver’s own video against him after he posted footage on Facebook showing he was doing 180 kilometres an hour on the highway.

According to police, a 23-year-old male from Larnaca district was asked to go to his local station after officers received information about an alleged highway speeding video posted on social media.

The driver, who was described as a local Greek Cypriot male, was driving on the Larnaca-Paralimni highway on Saturday afternoon around 3:50pm.

Police say the young man was doing 180km (110 miles) in a 100km/h zone while holding his mobile phone and using it as a camera to record the speedometer, which appeared based on the video footage to indicate 180km/h.

The driver then posted the video on social media, according to police, while local media said another individual who saw the footage online notified authorities.

Police charged the driver with reckless and dangerous driving, speeding, and violating the hands-free law, while he is expected to appear in court on February 10 for his arraignment.

Cyber crime officers were involved in the initial investigation while an official police statement said the young man has admitted wrongdoing to investigators.

Police sources told Knews the video in question was the only evidence against him, while it was not immediately clear whether it could be used in court. If the driver were to deny the charges in court, a judge would first need to rule the suspect’s own video as admissible before the trial could proceed.

Last week, Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos announced the government was ready to enforce strict policies regarding serious traffic offences, including driving under the influence and going well beyond the speed limit.

Citing “very alarming data” over dangerous driving on Cypriot roads, Karousos said the transport department has the power to “suspend immediately” permits of suspects while their cases are being investigated.