27-year-old denies driving in high-speed valley pursuit

Monday 25 April 2022

A 27-year-old car enthusiast denies he was behind the wheel of a car that sped up St. Peter’s Valley, following another vehicle in the middle of the night last January.

Steven Caldeira Pacheco appeared in the Magistrate’s Court on Friday accused of dangerous driving on 17 January 2021.

At the trial, he admitted to being in a Ford Fiesta which he owned, that drove at speeds of up to 86mph just after 03:00, following closely behind a white Honda Integra, which he had sold earlier in the month.

However, Mr Pacheco said he was not the driver of the Fiesta, but was in the back seat. The driver, he argued, was a man called Pedro who was taking the car on a test-drive before potentially buying it.

Mr Pacheco’s girlfriend, 25-year-old Lilia Maria Bonito Ferreira, is also on trial, accused of ‘aiding and abetting’ the dangerous driving by filming a two-and-a-half minute video of the high-speed, late-night drive on her mobile phone.

Miss Ferreira admits to being in the front passenger seat of the Fiesta and filming the footage, which began when the cars were approaching the Vic in the Valley pub and ended near the turn-off to St. Mary’s Church, but says she did so to capture a record should something have gone wrong.

Pictured: The cars drove at speed up St. Peter's Valley in the small hours of the morning (Credit: Google Maps).

The prosecution, however, argues that, in filming, she was encouraging the driver - who they maintain was Mr Pacheco - to drive dangerously.

The footage was later circulated on social media, which prompted the police to begin an investigation.

Prosecuting, Advocate Kate Ridley said: “This was a trophy recording which has been shared on social media with others, and Mr Pacheco was playing up to the camera by his driving.”

Taking the stand, Mr Pacheco said that he had met with other car enthusiasts at a car park at L’Etacq, where a friend had introduced him to Pedro, who was interested in buying the Fiesta.

He said that Pedro got behind the wheel, Miss Ferreira went in the front seat because she suffered from car sickness, and he and Pedro’s girlfriend sat in the back.

“When we set off, he [Pedro] was not breaking the speed limit but was a bit aggressive on the corners. I did not say anything but if I had found his driving to be dangerous, I would have said something,” Mr Pacheco told the court.

Asked why he did not speak out when the car began speeding through St. Peter’s Valley, Mr Pacheco said he was an experienced driver - having competed in hill climbs and sprints and taken part in track days - so knew it was dangerous to distract a driver at those speeds.

The prosecution, however, maintains he was driving the car. 

In the video - which was played to the court several times - a voice can be heard saying “Fair play mate, you held that”.

Mr Pacheco admits that the voice was his but argues that he was speaking to Pedro when, near to the junction with Les Routeurs, the Fiesta’s rear began to slide away.

Advocate Ridley, however, argues that he was referring to the driver of the white Honda, which is seen on the video in front, taking a corner at high speed.

Questioned by his lawyer, Advocate Francesca Pinel, Mr Pacheco said that as soon as the cars slowed down when driving through St. Mary, he got angry at Pedro for driving so fast and told him to stop and get out of the car. 

He added that he could see his girlfriend, Miss Ferreira, was scared.

She told her lawyer, Advocate Frances Littler, that she had started filming “just in case something wrong happened … I mean an accident.”

She said that that Pedro was driving “crazily” through the valley.

She added that she did not tell the driver that she was recording a video; however, when someone asked in Portuguese - captured in the footage - if she was filming, she confirmed she was. 

Mr Pacheco told the court that he did not speak Portuguese, except for a few words. He added that he ran a ‘Jersey Street Elites’ club of car enthusiasts and had tried to organise a drive during the lockdown, but this had been cancelled after the police told him it would be illegal.

“When you have a modified car, people look at you like you’re one of the ones who speeds at night, and it disgusts me,” he said. “I want to promote safe driving”.

Mr Pacheco refused to reveal the full name of Pedro nor the name of the friend who introduced Pedro to him, nor the name of the driver of the white Honda.

“I don't want to grass on people; which is why I'm in this position now,” he told the court.

After the incident, Mr Pacheco sent a message to Miss Ferreira asking for the footage, which he then sent on to the driver of the white Honda, who posted it on social media.

She later sent another message referencing a media report titled ‘Reports of late-night speeding trigger concern’.

Mr Pacheco replied “I’ve seen it” followed by a number of crying-with-laughter emojis.

The prosecution argues this is further proof that Mr Pacheco was behind the wheel, and disproves his account of being angered at the driving. 

He told the court that the emojis are a normal way of signing off a message.

After hearing all the evidence, Assistant Magistrate Sarah Fitz reserved judgment. Her decision is likely to be given this week.