A motorcyclist who admitted dangerous driving has been disqualified after the camera footage he shot of himself riding his “superbike” was used to prosecute him.
Jack Godfrey, 24 of Kent View Road, Basildon, was ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work as part of a community order and disqualified for 12 months for dangerous driving when he appeared at Basildon Magistrates’ Court on Friday 3 November. He was also ordered to re-sit his test and pay £269 worth of fines and costs.
Godfrey and his powerful “superbike” was stopped at the A130, Rettendon, by a Roads Policing officer, late afternoon on Saturday 15 July.
The officer had followed the motorbike to the location after seeing it join the A12 at junction 19; the officer noticed the motorbike’s registration could not be read as the letters were too small.
Source: Youtube Essex County Police
Throughout the journey, the rider was witnessed by the officer driving at high speed and undertaking vehicles on numerous occasions along the route before he slowed to exit the A130, allowing the officer to bring the rider to a halt.
During the stop, the Roads Policing officer noticed a dash cam fitted to the motorbike. Suspecting it had captured the rider’s driving, the officer seized the SD card.
When reviewed, the dash cam had captured footage of the rider’s earlier journeys that day and showed the man riding along a number of roads at an estimated top speed of 150mph whilst overtaking numerous vehicles and even performing a “wheelie” whilst passing oncoming vehicles.
“There is no doubt that the rider drove in a dangerous manner that day, using the public roads of Chelmsford as a racetrack with no consideration for himself and the safety of other road users.
“At one point, he nearly collided into a roundabout.
“The footage was horrific, so much so, that during the interview, the rider admitted that even he was shocked by it and admitted he’d been foolish.”
– Police Constable Danny Wheeler, who led the investigation
The court ordered no separate penalty for two other charges relating to the unlawful registration plate that didn’t conform with DVLA regulations.
Vision Zero – Keeping Roads Safe
Roads Policing officers are officers dedicated to keeping roads in Essex safe and support Vision Zero, our ambition to achieve no roads deaths by 2040 or sooner.
Our officers patrol both the strategic network and rural roads to ensure motorists adhere to the Highway Code and the law.
Each year people are involved in serious or fatal collisions where the contributing factors are speeding, drink or drug driving, not wearing a seatbelt or being distracted whilst driving through use of a mobile phone – collectively they are known as the Fatal Four.
Working in partnership with the Safer Essex Roads Partnership, Vision Zero aims to tackle these issues, to keep all our road users safe.
Earlier this year, Chief Constable BJ Harrington took the Vision Zero Pledge. The Pledge, launched by the Safer Essex Roads Partnership, asks all drivers and riders to consider how they could make some simple changes to their driving in support of Vision Zero. Steps included:
- Drive within the speed limit or more slowly, to allow for unforeseen risks;
- Always wear a seatbelt and insist that passengers do the same;
- Put your mobile phone away or on silent when driving and avoid other distractions;
- Share the roads and allow plenty of space for everyone.
Visit the Safer Essex Roads Partnership website for more information on how you can take the Vision Zero pledge.
Source: Essex County Police
