Police speed check catches two drivers going at over 100mph within months of getting their licences
Two drivers who were caught at the same spot doing more than 100mph were today handed driving bans totalling four months.
The case against R driver Jay Bowen was the first to be called at Antrim Magistrates’ Court, sitting in Ballymena.
The court heard how police were conducting a speed check, sitting at the Rathbeg roundabout overlooking the M2 motorway east of Antrim town on 22 July this year, when a vehicle being driven by the 18-year-old was spotted overtaking multiple cars at what appeared to be excessive speed.
It was established that Bowen was travelling at 114mph and the court also heard that Bowen, from Strand Close in Belfast, had only passed his driving test in March.
The teenager entered a guilty plea to an offence of speeding as an R driver and defence counsel Grant Powles conceded that the apprentice plumber “has no good reason to proffer”.
Bowen was by himself in the car and was heading home from Londonderry having attended the Foyle Cup, Mr Powles told the court.
District Judge Nigel Broderick told Bowen that even if he had passed his test 20 or 30 years ago and had more experience behind the wheel than just a few months, “you would still be disqualified”.
Imposing a three month driving ban and £200 fine, the judge told Bowen his speed “was bordering on dangerous”.
The court heard how the same speed check caught Joseph Lowry doing 104mph on his motorbike.
His defence lawyer conceded that while Lowry, from Castle Manor in Ballyclare, had a full car licence, he had only held his motorcycle licence for a few months.
He also admitted an offence of excess speed and was handed a one-month driving ban and £200 fine.
Judge Broderick warned “there has to be a clear message” that anyone caught driving at more than 100mph will face a driving ban.
“People read the papers and quite properly, the press perform an important role in keeping society aware of what happens in our courts,” said the judge, adding that if it was reported people were not banned for such excessive speeds, “everyone else will think: ‘well, they were not disqualified so there’s nothing to stop me putting my foot down’ – and then our roads become even more dangerous.”
“I have to make sure that our roads are safe and for those who drive at excessive speeds at 100 mph, there must be a clear messages that if you drive at such speeds, you will be disqualified,” judge Broderick declared.