A French man is being accused of painting his Porsche sports car another color to avoid hefty penalties after being caught speeding and failing to stop despite being signaled to do so by police.
On June 2nd, French police used a speed radar to catch a motorist driving at a speed of 188 km/h on a road limited to 80 km/h near Cournonsec, southwest of Montpellier. They notified a gendarmerie unit near the Poussan motorway to stop the offender, but when they signaled the car to pull over, it just flew past them with no intention of stopping. Surprised by the car’s vehicle, the gendarmes were unable to chase down the offender or even get its license plate. However, they wrote down in their report that the car was a bright green Porsche 911 sports car, which made it relatively easy to identify. However, when the only person in the area known to drive a green Porsche turned up at the police station, officers were shocked to find that his sports car was now grey.
Photo: Martin Baron/Unsplash
When informed about his alleged speeding, the 40-year-old suspect feigned surprise and informed the policemen that he couldn’t possibly be the man they were looking for because he had a flat tire on the day of the incident and his Porsche could not be used. Surprised by the man’s alibi, officers continued their investigation, and upon inspecting the vehicle, they found traces of green paint in different areas of the body. They also learned that the vehicle had just passed its technical inspection the week before the incident, and the person who had conducted it confirmed that the car in question had been green.
Confronted with all this evidence against him, the French motorist, whose name has not been revealed for privacy reasons, finally admitted to speeding on June 2nd, and also to trying to deceive authorities by repainting his Porsche 911. On the other hand, he denied the charge of aggravated refusal to comply and endangering the life of others, claiming that he never saw the gendarmes’ signals to stop.
Police impounded the suspect’s Porsche sports car until the case is resolved. The man risks hefty financial penalties and even jail time for his actions. French law states that speeding over 50 km/h over the legal limit results in a fine of up to 1,300 euros ($1,400), as well as the suspension of the driver’s license and the potential confiscation of the vehicle. For refusing to stop at police signals and endangering the lives of others, the man risks a fine of 15,000 euros ($16.000) and up to two years in prison.
