Telford YouTubers to stand trial after denying dangerous driving
Two YouTubers have appeared at crown court to deny dangerous driving over a video posted online.
James 'Jay' Swingler, from Holyhead Road in Wellington, and Romell Henry, from Rickerscote Road in Stafford, pleaded not guilty at Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday.
Both men, known for their TGFbro YouTube channel, are accused of dangerous driving on March 6 last year.
Richard Percival, 49 and from Robert Street in Dudley, also denies two counts of aiding and abetting dangerous driving.
They will stand trial at Shrewsbury later this year, provisionally set for the two-week period from September 13. The court heard that the contested issue will be whether the driving was in fact dangerous.
The three men were investigated after West Mercia Police received several reports from concerned members of the public who had seen a video of them driving on roads near Wellington in March last year.
Swingler, who is 25, and Henry, 26, are well known for their YouTube channel which has almost 6 million subscribers.
A video posted on their channel on March 8 titled "Extreme Driving Test With TGF (CAR FLIPPED)" showed footage of Swingler and Henry being given a "driving lesson" by Percival. It has since been removed from their channel but footage from the video has been re-uploaded by other users.
The video showed a Renault Clio being driven on and off roads. It was watched more than 8 million times before being removed.
Swingler has previously faced criticism for wasting emergency services' time, having cemented his head inside a microwave.
All three men are represented by Mr Douglas Jones.
