Bodybuilder caught driving at one of the highest speeds brought before Northern Ireland courts this year

Brandon Chambers (22), with an address listed as Collins Walk in Strabane, was caught driving at 121mph in an Audi on the M22 motorway in County Antrim at 1.35pm on Thursday March 30 this year.

The defendant was at Antrim Magistrates' Court, sitting in Ballymena, on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to a charge of excess speed.

A defence lawyer said "he full accepts that this was an absolutely stupid thing to do and no excuse could be offered".

The lawyer said his client is originally from County Donegal and at the time of the offence had been "working as a personal trainer in the Derry area and competing as a competitive bodybuilder with sponsorship, so everything was going quite well for him".

Following the summons, the lawyer said the defendant "lost" the job because a driving ban would mean he could not travel and he "is also not going to be able to compete in the competitions. It is going to have a stalling effect on his career and he had to move back in with his uncle in Donegal.”

On the day of the offence, the defendant had been in Belfast "to have some work done to his vehicle" and he was travelling home.

The lawyer said his client is in receipt of benefits.District Judge Nigel Broderick said: "I have to say this is one of the highest speeds this court has encountered and I encounter a lot of people who drive at excessive speeds because of the proximity of the motorway and dual carriageways."

He said the defendant was "quite fortunate" not to be charged with dangerous driving, adding: "Not only was it an excessive speed but it was a highly dangerous speed and if anything untoward had happened this could have resulted in a very serious road traffic accident, if not a fatality".

The defendant was banned from driving for three months but "because of your limited income," the judge told Chambers he would keep the fine to £150.