Retrial For The Copper Who Hit 159mph On The M54

[Fizz]

Lets hope he gets what he deserves...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/shropshire/4669594.stm

[Flat Pack]

Lets hope he gets what he deserves...

Indeed, he should certainly be tried for speeding but the dangerous driving charge should have been thrown out long before it even reached any sort of court. Shame its back on the agenda now...

[Robie]

Lets hope he gets what he deserves...

Indeed, he should certainly be tried for speeding but the dangerous driving charge should have been thrown out long before it even reached any sort of court. Shame its back on the agenda now...

He did 90mph+ in a 30mph limit! At any time of night that imo is dangerous even with no traffic.

There is no need to familiarise yourself with doing 90mph in an urban area now is there?

[daktari]

I know it`s wrong to judge someone on how they look.... but, he looks smarmy so obviously guilty. :D

Actually this is interesting because a lad over here on the island borrowed his dads Porsche Boxster and got caught speeding at 149MPH on the only straight bit of road over here.

He was charged with dangerous driving, Driving without insurance and speeding! It obviously went to magistrates court and the lad pleaded not guilty. So next he was off to Crown court on the mainland, where the judge said because it was good visibility, And he only exceeded the limit for a short time and the road was straight with no other traffic on it at the time, he was not guilty of dangerous driving .....But would still be charged with speeding and the insurance offence. Fine you might think.

But obviopusly the Judge has never been to the island. The road where he did it is a mile and a half long, It`s so uneven that you are serioously risking your own life if you go at anything over the legal limit. It just throws you from one side of the carriageway to the other :ffs: And to top it off at the end of that stretch there`s a blind bend on the brow of a hill which tractors frequently use.... Makes you wonder. Oh and it was a T5 that caught him. Never thought that would happen 20 years ago. A volvo catching a Porsche.

[Fidgits]

yeah, im sorry but 90 in a 30, and 150 - if any of us got caught doing that we'd be in jail now...

and yes, he might be a highly trained copper - but lets be honest, if damon hill was caught doing that, he'd be in jail too, and id put his skill and reactions over any copper anyday..

The goverment cant harp on about speed kills, and fill the roads with speed cameras and then let the police do this sort of thing.. its hypocritical..

[JAHill]

yeah, im sorry but 90 in a 30, and 150 - if any of us got caught doing that we'd be in jail now...

and yes, he might be a highly trained copper - but lets be honest, if damon hill was caught doing that, he'd be in jail too, and id put his skill and reactions over any copper anyday..

The goverment cant harp on about speed kills, and fill the roads with speed cameras and then let the police do this sort of thing.. its hypocritical..

With you on that.

At 90 in a 30 any skills are worth ***** if a ped steps out in front of you. The 30 limit is mainly so that if you do hit someone, they might survive. Get hit at 90 and you'll be decapitated.

"familiarising" himself with a new car... Why don't they just send him off to the 'Ring with a box of tissues to let him get it out of his system! ;)

[Flat Pack]

It was 60 in a 30 actually I think, not that that makes any difference. A lot of places have ludicrous 30 limits now... You're talking about pedestrians stepping out in front of him, you don't know that there even could have been any nearby. There's a 30 limit within a couple of miles of my house that's got green fields all around, no junctions... nothing. Its completely out in the sticks, its just a stupid politically set 30 limit that's got nothing to do with safety.

It all eventually boils down to whether or not you think exceeding a speed limit is automatically dangerous. I don't, so without some other evidence to show that his driving WAS dangerous he shouldn't be convicted of that. The police seem to have real trouble securing convictions for dangerous driving against people that are doing things that ARE obviously dangerous, causing other vehicles to have to take emergency avoiding action etc so with only speeding as evidence it shouldn't get anywhere near a courtroom. Of course the current obsession with speeding means it does, and means people do get convicted of it. That doesn't make it right or just though.

[dicey2k]

Yeah i couldn't agree more (with JA and Ian)! I was talking about this to someone the other day, before the case was sent back to court, it's just so wrong in my opinion!

Here's hoping he gets a little more than a slapped wrist this time!!

Flat Pack: They set speed limits for a reason. We had a road like that near us which used to be national speed limit and now its been brought down to 40mph, not because people were getting mowed down, but because people were driving like plebs and either loosing control on the bends or ploughing into other cars.

The limit is set on the Potential for accidents, as far as i'm aware, and it is only brought down when actual incidents have occured or the layout of the particular stretch of road has altered in some way, like the addition of a new estate, or when such a change is being planned in the future to give motorists the time to adapt? Something like that anyway...

The point is, as Ian said, we'd be in the slammer if that were us, no second chances either!

[JAHill]

Strangely, a route (Crown Farm Way) that I take to work most days used to be 30... It's now 40. Progress! ;) It'd be nice if people realised though.

[mikeb]

It was 60 in a 30 actually I think, not that that makes any difference. A lot of places have ludicrous 30 limits now... You're talking about pedestrians stepping out in front of him, you don't know that there even could have been any nearby. There's a 30 limit within a couple of miles of my house that's got green fields all around, no junctions... nothing. Its completely out in the sticks, its just a stupid politically set 30 limit that's got nothing to do with safety.

It all eventually boils down to whether or not you think exceeding a speed limit is automatically dangerous. I don't, so without some other evidence to show that his driving WAS dangerous he shouldn't be convicted of that. The police seem to have real trouble securing convictions for dangerous driving against people that are doing things that ARE obviously dangerous, causing other vehicles to have to take emergency avoiding action etc so with only speeding as evidence it shouldn't get anywhere near a courtroom. Of course the current obsession with speeding means it does, and means people do get convicted of it. That doesn't make it right or just though.

I agree with what your point that speeding is not automatically dangerous, but I still think this copper should be treated the way any other member of the public would be. He was doing well over 60 in a 30 limit (think the police admitted off the record that 77 was clocked), and I think it was a populated area.

All government and police chauffeurs seem to get away with it though, which they shouldn't IMO.

[Flat Pack]

I completely agree, he should be charged with speeding and if found guilty convicted as any other person would be (and so end up with a hefty fine + banned from driving). That didn't happen first time round and is why I said he should be tried for speeding originally.

The case earlier this week that Daktari referred to showed that just excess speed isn't sufficient for dangerous driving though, so he shouldn't be charged with that. From Daktari's description of the Porsche case it sounds like it could well have been dangerous, if it was then the Police should have taken more care to record and report exactly what made it dangerous. Just going 149mph = dangerous end of story shouldn't be sufficient and sounds like it probably wasn't there.

[Bibbs]

either one of the following will be fine

1. Have the judge state that speed itself is not dangerous, and other factors need to come into play. Then you can argue for faster limits when no traffic is abbout.

2. Ban him, stick him in prison .. Police should lead by example.

[Demonic Angel]

Too bloody right as well - why should a copper be able to get away with such ridiculous speeds?

[JustJJ]

Flat Pack: They set speed limits for a reason. We had a road like that near us which used to be national speed limit and now its been brought down to 40mph, not because people were getting mowed down, but because people were driving like plebs and either loosing control on the bends or ploughing into other cars.

Yeah I agree, some places (accident blackspots etc) perhaps should be taken down in limit perhaps... but I have lived here for nearly 3 years now... and there has never (to my knowledge *touches wood) been an accident on that piece of road, and like Dave says... its got fields round it etc...

I have to agree with those that say the policeman should be treated in a similar fashion to a 'pleb' lol... 'lead by example' as Ben said...

I read somewhere that Police are allowed to exceed the speed limit (provided they have taken the advanced drivers course)... I think it was up to 120 MPH....

A West Mercia Police spokesman said it would be "inappropriate to comment" after the High Court referred the case back to a lower court.

But he added: "In West Mercia, clear guidelines which ensure that all advanced drivers know what they can and cannot do when driving vehicles above the posted speed limit - in accordance with national training guidelines - have been circulated."

The guidelines allow for officers to exceed limits, but never to drive at more than 120mph.

yup 120... taken from BBC website...

I dont condone serious speeding... (I myself have obviously been over the limit, as I'm sure most, if not all, of us have.... hell I have 3 points for it lol)... but I also agree that just cause you are going a bit faster you arent necessarily 'dangerous' sometimes people travelling under the speed limit can cause more problems than those edging over to keep with the flow of traffic.

[stevetubbyturbo]

159mph to get the feel of a car, i think not, that is the most lame excuse i have ever heard 100mph maybe but almost 160 mph that is plan stupid and as someone else said the police should lead by example.

And he looks like the sort of copper who would nick you for doing 35 in a 30 and be smug about it.

[mikeb]

He must have national fame by now! Can you imagine every time he tries to nick someone for doing 5 mph over the limit "hey aren't you that copper that got caught at 160 mph?" He'll never live it down.

I guess they could demote him to traffic duty for the rest of his career... oh hang on.

[Bibbs]

But no-one has thought of the main point ..

in a Vauxhall .. anything over 30 is *really* pushing it .. 160 is no where near safe. They must have a limited edition Vecrta, you know, the one with all the bolts done up tight and non Vauxhall parts.

[Fidgits]

But no-one has thought of the main point ..

in a Vauxhall .. anything over 30 is *really* pushing it .. 160 is no where near safe. They must have a limited edition Vecrta, you know, the one with all the bolts done up tight and non Vauxhall parts.

i have to admit, that was my first thought when i originally heard that! what a vectra actually managed 160?

the ones i drove i would trust to stay in one piece at 60!

[Gnome]

DAMN! I was gonna try the "Just testing the top speed occifer, I swear!" trick on the bike!!! :D

[Sooty]

If this idoit was off duty as i seem to remember it being said, then he would not be covered by the firms insurance. He should also be done for driving without any and then the book can be thrown at him.

[mikeb]

If this idoit was off duty as i seem to remember it being said, then he would not be covered by the firms insurance. He should also be done for driving without any and then the book can be thrown at him.

I think he was on duty though. I've not seen any news articles that said he wasn't. But he wasn't in a pursuit or responding to an emergency, just driving fast because he was bored, probably.