‘Your word against mine’: Audio before tense P-plater and cop argument

An audio recording has captured an interaction between a police officer and a P-plater before the pair broke into an argument on the side of a highway.

An audio recording has revealed what happened moments before a police officer got into a heated argument with a red P-plater for allegedly speeding on a busy highway.

The 22-year-old driver, who requested to be identified as James T, was travelling from Sydney to regional Victoria for a work trip for fundraising on Sunday afternoon when he was pulled over for speeding – a claim he denies.

In a video posted to TikTok, which has divided the internet, James can be heard telling the cop he was travelling 90km/h – the legal limit for a P1 provisional driver – after he caught up to the police car in traffic on the highway.

“I wasn’t breaking any speed limits. I’ve got my P-plates on, you’ve dragged me out of the car on the side of the road … you were up my a***,” he told the cop as they stood on the side of the highway.

However, the officer, who admitted he didn’t record James’ speed on a radar gun, questioned how the driver could have caught up with his car travelling 110km/h if he wasn’t speeding.

The police officer questioned how James caught up with him on the highway. Picture: TikTok

He said he did not use a radar gun to record James’ speed. Picture: TikTok

Now, a new audio clip obtained by news.com.au reveals what sparked the fiery clash between the pair.

The clip begins with the officer telling James he is going to be issued a speeding ticket.

James said “one thing led to another” during the discussion and claimed the officer reached into his car and ripped the keys from his ignition after he refused to step out of the vehicle.

“Step out of the car for me James,” the cop is heard saying in the audio recording.

“I’m OK thanks mate, if you don’t have me on radar … it’s your word against mine at the end of the day,” replied James.

The cop then again requested James to step out of the car, before the sound of keys jingling and beeping is heard.

“What’s the cause?” asked James.

“Because I am a police officer,” he replied.

“That doesn’t mean sh**, you can’t abuse your authority bro.”

After the cop continued to press the driver to exit the vehicle, James said he didn’t believe it was a “safe place to get out of the car”.

“Get out of the car, there’s plenty of room because I’m standing here … stop arguing with me,” he said.

The 22-year-old, who admitted he had previously lost his licence for speeding, claimed the cop’s demeanour changed as soon as he started recording the video.

“He was more defensive, he lowered his tone and tried to be a little bit more professional,” he shared.

James speculated the officer was likely holding a “grudge” when he pulled him over, as the pair had earlier encountered each other on the motorway after James “legally” overtook another vehicle.

“As I’ve overtaken the car, that was going significantly slower than myself, I checked my rear view [mirror] to make sure that the coast was clear for me to move back into the left lane. [Only] to see that there was a white Prado so far up my a** I could almost smell it,” he said, referring to the cop car.

James claimed the cop then gave him a “big dirty” look before the cop “stormed off”.

“[Maybe he thought] that I was trying to have some balls by catching up to him and pulling past him, trying to prove a point or trying to aggravate the situation when that’s not the case at all.”

He added his Ford Falcon car is often a “cop magnet” and in line with the type of car driven by a “typical Aussie P-plater”.

James was pulled over for allegedly speeding while travelling from Sydney. Picture: TikTok

The cop said he would be issued a speeding fine and directed him to get out of the car. Picture: TikTok

Having lost his licence for speeding three years ago, James said he understands how “extremely inconvenient” it is to be without a licence and wouldn’t put himself in a position to lose it again.

“And considering this was a work trip, I can’’t take that risk, especially when we’re out trying to try to help people.”

James is yet to receive the speeding fine but said he would contest it and take the matter to court.

If he doesn’t receive a fine, he plans to file a formal complaint, explaining: “I don’t feel like

anyone deserves to be treated like that, especially if they’re not doing the wrong thing.”

A spokesman for Sydney Criminal Lawyers told news.com.au a police officer can legally issue a speeding fine without the use of a radar, in what is known as ‘estimates of speed’.

However, they said it can be contested in court.

“Section 79 of the Evidence Act 1995 requires that in order to give an opinion (such as an estimate of speed), a police officer will need to establish that he or she has ‘specialised knowledge’ based on ‘training, study or experience’ for estimating speeds travelled by motor vehicles.”

In the meantime, James said he’s unfazed by comments online which claim he was speeding and in the wrong.

“I knew I was going to get comments that stated ‘he’s a P-plater, he would have been speeding, he’s an idiot’ that was inevitable … [But] if I was speeding, I’d cop it on the chin.”

While he understands police are only performing their job at the end of the day, he encouraged drivers to take action if something “isn’t right”.

“Maybe don’t go about it the way that I did … once the interaction is done, then follow it up afterwards in a courtroom rather than on the side of the street.”

News.com.au has contacted NSW Police for comment.

Originally published as ‘Your word against mine’: Audio before tense P-plater and cop argument