'Remarkably stupid' YouTube pair who crashed and flipped car near the Wrekin are fined

Jamie "Jay" Swingler and Romell Henry, both 27, carried out a series of risky manoeuvres for their video titled 'Extreme Driving Test (Car Flipped)'. The clip, in which Richard Percival was the driving instructor, racked up more than eight million views on their TGFBro YouTube channel. The duo have more than six million subscribers.

Swingler, of Wellington, Telford, and Henry, of Stafford, were sentenced at Shrewsbury Crown Court after pleading guilty to careless driving. Percival, aged 51 and of Robert Street, Dudley, will be sentenced at a later date.

The video, which was filmed on March 6, 2020 and uploaded two days later, was played to the court. It showed Percival giving Swingler and Henry a "driving lesson" in a silver Renault Clio. It shows them mounting grass verges, crashing into another car - which was a prop - and flipping the car onto its side.

At one point, Henry is driving while hanging out of the window, and later in the video they snap the indicator off and start singing "**** the indicator!" Percival, who was in on the stunt, shouted at Swingler and Henry throughout, telling them to "watch the ****ing pothole", "keep your hands on the ****ing wheel" and "you're putting my life at risk!"

The pair have removed their video from their channel, but it has been re-uploaded by other users.

Judge Anthony Lowe was far from impressed at their antics, and said a jury would have regarded it "remarkably stupid, immature and irresponsible" behaviour.

"Quite why eight million people want to watch that, I have no idea," he said. "I suspect it's a generational thing."

William Douglas-Jones, defending Swingler and Henry, said they displayed "foolish and puerile" behaviour, but that "many measures" were taken to prevent risk to other road users during the filming. There were "safety" cars in front and behind the Clio which were filming their driving.

He said that the pair earn around £62,500 each a year, and added that Swingler - who has previously been criticised after he uploaded a video where he cemented his head into a microwave - lives with his partner, and wants to "set a good example" to her son. Mr Douglas-Jones also said Henry's family rely on him for driving and he financially supports his sister.

Judge Lowe decided not to disqualify the pair, instead endorsing each of their driving licenses with five points.

He said that in order to carry out these "stunts", they should have sought the relevant permissions from the police, local council and others that professional filming crews would receive. He also ordered Swingler and Henry to pay £95 in court costs.