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Priest caught illegally making zoom call while driving

by Rachel Huston

A priest has been caught illegally using his phone while driving on a Zoom call in Wales.

Father Malcolm Lane was taking part in a remote council meeting and joined the meeting while on his way to officiate at a funeral.

The cleric can be seen dressed in his dog collar and sitting behind the wheel of his car while listening in and driving at the same time.

The 69-year-old Conservative Councillor is a member of Monmouthshire County Council in South West Wales and was seen introducing himself via the video link.

Labour councillor Armand Watts questioned where he was, saying:

"Malcolm, I've just got an observation here, are you driving?"

Fr. Lane replies:

"Yeah I'm driving. I'm actually off to conduct a funeral but I'm listening intently."

Another colleague, Labour Councillor Watts, then suggests he stop driving.

"Malcolm, my advice to you because I'm not sure where you are, obviously you've got important business this morning, would be to possibly pull over if you can," he said.

"Yeah, I will," Fr. Lane replies.

Fr. Lane, who has also been a magistrate for 27 years represents the Mardy ward constituency. He had been due to discuss dental services at the meeting.

According to the Mail Online a spokesperson for the council said that like many other local authorities, Monmouthshire County Council holds its meetings both online and in-person:

"This allows councillors to attend all meetings remotely for a variety of reasons," they stated.

It is illegal to use a hand-held phone while driving and you can get six penalty points on your licence plus a £200 fine if caught.

Fr. Lane is a Catholic priest who officiates in the Diocese of Monmouth and serves as Honorary Curate in the Parish of Abergavenny.

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