'Stop crying,' officer tells rider caught texting

Being caught using his phone reduced this young rider to tears

"The tears won't work on me - I've seen too many people killed on roads," PC Joshua Ace tells a motorcyclist.

The young rider had been caught red-handed texting while riding his L-plated motorbike through a Tesco car park in Leicester.

Just around the corner - in a uniform and hi-vis jacket - was the officer, watching vigilantly during a road safety operation in Leicester.

Despite his pleas and tears, the motorcyclist was handed six penalty points and a £200 fine.

So far this year, 17 such operations have been carried out by Leicestershire Police targeting dangerous drivers.

It has resulted in 165 motorists being stopped for not wearing a seatbelt, 96 distracted by their mobile phones along with 38 other offences such as no insurance, MOT or driving licence.

"Some people play on our compassion as police officers," said PC Joshua Ace

The phone-using motorcyclist was collared during the latest operation in New Park Street on Thursday.

Despite being caught red-handed, he pleaded with the officers for leniency.

"I'm enforcing the law, you decided to break it," PC Ace told him. "So none of this is my fault, this is all your fault."

When the tears did not stop, the officer said: "Stop crying, take some accountability, take some responsibility and deal with this when it comes through.

"And in future, if you've got a phone call to take, pull over, so you don't put yourself or other people at risk.

"The tears won't work on me because I've seen too many people killed on the roads because people are using their mobile phones. So stop the tears now."

The rider's insistence it was the first time he had used his phone in such circumstances was quickly dismissed.

"No, it's not [the first time]. It's the first time you've been caught. So don't try and lie to me saying you've never used your mobile phone," PC Ace told him.

He then offered the rider some reassurance and told him to calm down before taking him to a police car for a chat.

The offence could have further consequences for the rider, as accumulating six or more points on a provisional licence within two years of passing the test can result in it being revoked.

The rider begged the officer for forgiveness, but his tears were in vain

"Fair enough to him, he admitted it straight away," PC Ace later told the BBC. "The excuse was that he was on an emergency phone call because his mum was poorly.

"But obviously, that in itself is not an emergency. It takes no more than 20 seconds to pull over to be able to have that opportunity to take that phone call.

"In a moped, you're already vulnerable, so much more vulnerable than if you were driving a car. So, you're only using one hand to ride the motorbike, and then you're distracted at the same time.

"You don't have access to both your brakes. So, taking a phone call because someone's poorly - it's not an emergency, it's not an excuse."

PC Ace explained that the rider claimed he was struggling with his mental health, but when he offered to help him by assisting him with referrals, he declined, adding he was saying things out of frustration.

"We do find that some people play on our compassion as police officers," he added. "And while we have a degree of understanding, by taking that phone call he puts himself at risk.

"What use is he going to be to his mum if he has a car crash? He's a father, he has responsibilities.

"It was a difficult conversation because I'm obviously a human being and I try to deal with people, not just the offence that's in front of me.

"There are some people who try to play on our empathy and compassion, but in reality their regret is that they got caught, not that they had been doing something wrong."