Shocking dash cam footage shows the moment a driver doing 70mph on the M6 reaches out and grabs a can of beer from a stag do minibus.
The footage, released by Staffordshire Police, shows the moment 24-year-old driver Paul Holmes overtook another vehicle before pulling back and driving alongside a stag do minibus driving in the right lane of the M6, between junctions 16 and 17. Holmes is then seen swerving over the white lines partly into the outside lane, so he can get close enough to then take the can offered.
Holmes, from Clitheroe, Lancashire, has now been disqualified from driving for 15 months after admitting dangerous driving. If he wants to drive again, he will have to pass an extended driving test.
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North Staffordshire Justice Centre heard that the motorway was busy at the time, and that the stunt could have had "catastrophic" consequences. Holmes's solicitor said he had been caught up in a "very exciting day," reports Stoke On Trent Live.
Debbie Leadbeater, defending Holmes, said: "He had been to see his children in Birmingham. He picked a friend up and they were going to go out in the evening. They were passing this group of people who started to gesticulate and wave to them.
"There was banter with them, they were in high spirits. Momentarily he got caught up in the fervour of the stag party and bizarrely he agreed to take this can and give it to his friend.
"Throughout this time he had full control of the vehicle and did not look away from the road. He just put his hand out. It was momentary stupidity."
Mark Olszewski, chairperson of the bench, told Holmes: "What we saw on the footage has given us a great deal of concern. The potential outcome of that behaviour could have been catastrophic. It could have cost lives."
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