A BUNGLING criminal who denied speeding while out on bail was caught out...by the electronic tag strapped to his leg.

Speed cameras twice caught prolific offender Darren Girling, 38, of Harridge Road, Leigh, riding his scooter at 41mph in a 30mph zone in Leigh.

He denied it was him when he filled in the fixed penalty forms sent out by police and had been due to stand trial for speeding.

However, confronted by the hi-tech evidence gathered from his electronic tag, Girling changed his mind and owned up. As a result, he ended up admitting not only speeding, but perverting the course of justice.

Girling was captured on camera speeding on the A13 in Leigh on November 17 last year, and again a week later.

He denied the offence, claiming it was not him, but someone else, using a copy of his number plate.

What he had forgotten was when he passed the camera, he had a Buddi tracker strapped to his leg.

He was wearing the minielectronic tag as one of the bail conditions imposed by Basildon Crown Court.

Dubbed “chav-nav”, the tags use similar technology to car sat navs to allow police to pinpoint the exact location of offenders and to log where they have been and when they were there.

In Girling’s case, the tag clearly placed him on the A13 at the time of the offence.

When detectives searched Girling’s home, they found his Piaggio X9 scooter, it looked different to the one on camera.

It quickly emerged he had bought a second bike and swapped parts with his so it would look different.

Girling was remanded in custody pending a sentencing hearing on January 9.

After the hearing a police spokesman said: “Darren Girling was sent forms and he sent them back, saying he was not in the road on each occasion.

“He said his motor scooter was very distinctive and invited the police to look at it.

“Police were able to confirm he was at the scene both times the cameras activated because he was wearing a Buddi tag, as a result of bail conditional imposed by Basildon Crown Court.”

The offence for which Girling was originally out on bail was not disclosed in court, nor was any reference made the the outcome of that case.

'CHAV-NAV' AIMS TO CURB OFFENDING

BUDDI Trackers use GPS in much the same way as car sat navs do.

The device is the brainchild of insurance website confused.com founder Sara Murray and could eventually replace conventional electronic tags imposed by courts.

The £250 devices are locked in place around the ankles of high-risk or prolific offenders as a condition of bail, probation and rehabilitation plans.

The unit, which weighs the same as a mobile phone, is waterproof and has a battery which lasts a week without charging, contains a mobile phone chip and a GPS locater.

They allow police to map where defendants travel, and to set areas where they are not allowed to go, with an alarm alerting police if they enter those areas.

They are believed to be a deterrent to reoffending – so long as, unlike Girling, the offender remembers he or she is wearing one.