A dangerous driver who narrowly missed a cyclist and then lied about being behind the wheel was caught out by the rider’s head cam footage.

Kyle Walsh has been jailed for six months for dangerous driving and perverting the course of justice, Northumbria Police said.

A court was told how a cyclist was travelling on Suffolk Street, Sunderland, in April 2019 when a VW Passat flew past him at high speed on the wrong side of the road.

The rider reviewed his head cam footage and saw from a rear view that the car had been weaving in and out of traffic at high speed, going on the wrong side of the road and narrowly avoiding a collision.

The cyclist submitted the footage to police who identified Walsh, 33, of Cairo Street, Hendon, Sunderland, as one of the named drivers on the insurance policy.

But Walsh denied it was him and he returned the fixed penalty notice, naming an associate as being the one behind the wheel.

Police checked that individual and found he was on remand in prison at the time.

Officers reviewed the cyclist’s footage and were able to identify Walsh as the driver that day.

Walsh was jailed for six months at Newcastle Crown Court on Monday.

Outside court, Chief Inspector Mick Hall, of Northumbria Police’s Motor Patrols Department, said the case showed the value of reporting dash cam footage to police.

He said: “This footage speaks for itself. The driving on display was appalling and it is by luck, not judgment, that nobody was injured.

“Walsh was travelling at high speeds and into oncoming traffic on what was a minor road in an area where there is a high number of pedestrians.

“But when he was reported for his offences he refused to take responsibility and tried to squirm his way out of a criminal prosecution.

“Ultimately, his lies have seen him put behind bars and that would not have been possible without the cyclist in this case submitting his head cam footage.

“His vigilance has taken a dangerous driver off the roads and, if that driver had not been stopped, then it could have been a matter of time before someone was seriously injured or killed.”