View Full Version : Policeman cleared of speeding after driving at 159 MPH
rainbow2411 18-05-2005, 14:40 Wondered what you thought of this
A police constable who reached 159mph on a motorway has been cleared of speeding and dangerous driving
Pc Mark Milton, 38, from Telford, Shropshire, was recorded by the patrol car's video camera on the M54 in 2003, Ludlow Magistrates' Court heard.
District Judge Bruce Morgan acquitted him after calling the constable the "creme de la creme" of police drivers.
Pc Milton is trained in advanced driving and was "familiarising" himself with a new car, the court was told.
missrabbit 18-05-2005, 14:42 would he have said the same if he had killed someone in an accident?
matsalleh 18-05-2005, 14:46 Originally posted by rainbow2411
Pc Mark Milton, 38, from Telford, Shropshire, was recorded by the patrol car's video camera on the M54 in 2003, Ludlow Magistrates' Court heard.
Did he nick himself then? Having just been done for 35 mph,I think the full majesty of the law should be dropped on him from a great height.
Berberis 18-05-2005, 14:46 What a crock!!!!
I’m off to buy a new gun and take a few pot shots down the street, just to "familiarise" myself with it!
And people wonder why both the police force and our court system is looked upon so badly!
159mph- what the hell was he driving!!!! I didn't realise the volvo's could get that fast!!!
driving on the motorway which was clear ahead and i couldnt see any cars behind me.. just toddling along and yes i admit i was speding! a cop car came along the outside lane, it was so fast i did not see it coming i only felt the rumble as it went passed and dissapeared into sunset! considering i was doing about 100mph i wonder what spped he was doing:suspect:
Originally posted by rainbow2411
Pc Milton is trained in advanced driving and was "familiarising" himself with a new car, the court was told.
159mph on a motorway?
What on earth was he driving? A supersonic jet?
i'll be getting some advanced training then, and feel that i regularly need to familiarise myself with my car and it's top speed.
any magistrates can be refered straight to this case.
What an absolute traversy. Is there any wonder people get unhappy about how our courts are run sometimes.
full story (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/shropshire/4559173.stm)
In reaching his verdict, Mr Morgan noted that two police officers who gave evidence for the prosecution, including West Mercia Police's senior driving instructor, had declined to classify the defendant's driving as dangerous.
my driving wasn't called dangerous when i was prosecuted for 105. and it was a company car i was familiarising myself with. Maybe they should have just let me off as well.
IMHO if he was 'familiarising' himself he shouldn't have been doing 159mph! Surely that would be classed as careless driving as well as speeding?! When I get into a new or strange car I always take it steady when familiarising myself with it.
He was just showing off and seeing how fast he could take it - thinking that being a copper he wouldn't get done. Well he was right wasn't he.
Just been on the radio
He also did 84mph in a 30mph
Q. Who polices the police ?
A. No one
claycraft 18-05-2005, 20:09 Originally posted by Cyclone
i'll be getting some advanced training then
any magistrates can be refered straight to this case.
You beat me to it Cyclone.
May just go and see what the bike can on a public road this weekend and see where it gets me............12 months in Doncatraz proberbly!:evil::mad:
If the officer in question was "familiarizing" himself with the vehicle at speed why did he and his perticular police force not arrange for a track test rarther than public tarmac :loopy:
I saw this on the news and was outraged. 159mph is completely unnecessary and would not be used on duty in a chase because it would put far too many people in danger. The 84mph in the 30 zone is arguably even worse. The ruling is unbelievable. It really is a case of "one rule for them...".
claycraft 18-05-2005, 20:46 Originally posted by scottf
159mph- what the hell was he driving!!!! I didn't realise the volvo's could get that fast!!!
Vauxhall Vectra:shocked:
http://www.craigdenton.co.uk/speed.wmv
http://www.socweb.co.uk/forum_posts.asp?TID=24228&PN=1"
On the website ... it says the 'case continues' ...
Surely someone's head has to role for this ... or are they saying it's perfectly legit for police officers to drive around at these speeds in these circumstances ?
Some interesting discussion from, shall we say, the other side of the fence (give or take the odd civvy's comment)....
160 MPH discussed on 5ive-o forum (http://www.5ive-o.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6750)
Originally posted by Ginner
Some interesting discussion from, shall we say, the other side of the fence (give or take the odd civvy's comment)....
160 MPH discussed on 5ive-o forum (http://www.5ive-o.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6750)
Had a quick look - "firefly" seems to be the only one making sense. It's fair enough to practice using the car, but the purpose of practice is to prepare for the real thing. When would a police officer drive at 159mph on a motorway in a real chase? It's extremely unlikely, at best, simply because it would put too many people at risk. 84mph in a 30mph would NEVER happen. He wasn't "practicing" he was satisfying his craving for an adrenalin rush because he knew he could get away with it.
redrobbo 18-05-2005, 23:17 Originally posted by t020
Had a quick look - "firefly" seems to be the only one making sense. It's fair enough to practice using the car, but the purpose of practice is to prepare for the real thing. When would a police officer drive at 159mph on a motorway in a real chase? It's extremely unlikely, at best, simply because it would put too many people at risk. 84mph in a 30mph would NEVER happen. He wasn't "practicing" he was satisfying his craving for an adrenalin rush because he knew he could get away with it.
Seems that way to me too.
Some years ago, when I lived in Derby, there was a complaint made about two police officers pulling up on double yellow lines simply to use the cash machines outside a bank. Not good PR.
Originally posted by redrobbo
Seems that way to me too.
Some years ago, when I lived in Derby, there was a complaint made about two police officers pulling up on double yellow lines simply to use the cash machines outside a bank. Not good PR.
I've often seen cops approaching traffic lights in no particular hurry, and then the lights change to red when they reach them so they switch the lights and siren on for a few seconds whilst they pass through, again in no particular hurry.
Originally posted by scottf
159mph- what the hell was he driving!!!! I didn't realise the volvo's could get that fast!!!
It was THIS (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v689/viking99/forums/smartpolicecar.jpg) . A wolf in sheeps clothing.
Originally posted by matsalleh
Did he nick himself then? Having just been done for 35 mph,I think the full majesty of the law should be dropped on him from a great height. i agrree with you, why not send the clipping up and ask if there is any discrimination in the courts it,s supposed to be one law for every one,or so i,m led to believe
What else do you expect from police and magistrates ?? This is just another case of "them and us". A lot of policemen are just bigheaded morons who stick two fingers up at the "decent, law abiding majority". Do you see them rushing around when asked for assistance by the public ?. No fear, they are always too busy. [ No doubt practicing for the next "High St Grand Prix"] The free newspaper "Look Local" seems to be really on the case of our local constabulary highlighting several instances every week of their incompetance and general "dont care" attitude.
May have to refer back to this thread at some point, getting a new car soon, has a bigger engine than the one I currently have, will need to get adjusted and use to the difference :D
I think its just idiotic driving at that speed. There was no need for it and if it was a practice then it should be carried out in a practice area away from the public.
The police do think they are above the law and swan about in their cars not making a jot of difference to the crime figures.
I think this bloke should be given a push bike at the most as he doesn't seem to grasp the reality of his actions.
Originally posted by serapis
What a crock!!!!
I’m off to buy a new gun and take a few pot shots down the street, just to "familiarise" myself with it!
And people wonder why both the police force and our court system is looked upon so badly!
hehehe think I might join you, we can use the coppers case when we get took to court.
'' Seriously your honour, I was only testing it! I thought seeing as the nice policeman 'rolemodel' had done it with his new car, it would be ok for me to do it too''
Greenback 19-05-2005, 12:55 Surely if there's a chase taking place whereby a suspect is driving along at 100mph+, it would be more sensible (and less dangerous) to just get a police helicopter on the case? Driving at these sorts of speeds is so risky it can never be justified by officers of the law.
The whole thing's completely bizarre. No matter how 'advanced' your driving skills are (I love the way they make it sound like some kind of science), 84mph in a 30mph zone is putting people's lives at risk.
Originally posted by Greenback
Surely if there's a chase taking place whereby a suspect is driving along at 100mph+, it would be more sensible (and less dangerous) to just get a police helicopter on the case? Driving at these sorts of speeds is so risky it can never be justified by officers of the law.
The whole thing's completely bizarre. No matter how 'advanced' your driving skills are (I love the way they make it sound like some kind of science), 84mph in a 30mph zone is putting people's lives at risk.
i don't condone what this officer did, but what's so dangerous about 100+, when did you last see a story about a mass pileup on the german autobahn?
Greenback 19-05-2005, 13:53 Originally posted by Cyclone
i don't condone what this officer did, but what's so dangerous about 100+, when did you last see a story about a mass pileup on the german autobahn?
I agree that 100+ can be safe in normal conditions, but when we're talking about a 100mph+ car chase the ante has been upped too much, as far as safety is concerned.
It's interesting that all the people on here who spout "speeding is dangerous" are strangely silent at the moment.
PC Milton is my new Hero :clap:
What a Guy!!!
Originally posted by Gazza
PC Milton is my new Hero :clap:
What a Guy!!!
Do you make a habit of idolising people who like to put the lives of others at risk for the sake of their own amusement?
rubydazzler 19-05-2005, 18:33 Originally posted by Gazza
PC Milton is my new Hero :clap:
What a Guy!!!
Is it allowed on SF to say "Gazza, you're an idiot"?
If it isn't I unsay it immediately ... :P
The guy dident beat my top speed in a 30 though :rant: , guess he'll need a bit more training:D
The next time somebody gets a Gatso-generated penalty notice and points for being 5mph over the speed limit, they can at least console themselves with the information that all are treated equally before the law, and those who purport to enforce the country's laws on others are themselves equally subject to the same rules.
(not)
nobikejohn 20-05-2005, 05:29 Personnally I think anybody who breaks the speed limit should be prosecuted as they are putting other road users and pedestrians at risk.
Gazza if you think it's cleaver speeding in a 30 zone I suggest you go to your nearest accident and emergency department to see what effects road traffic accidents have on the human body.
Let's say it can be a very bloody mess and if the person survives they can be cripped for life.
As for the copper speeding at 159 mph, I think he should be banned for life:rant:
He hasn't set a very good example for all the young tearaways on the streets.
How would you like to be told one of your loved ones had been knocked down by someone speeding, then to find out it was a police office. I personally would be extreemly angry:rant:
Originally posted by serapis
What a crock!!!!
I’m off to buy a new gun and take a few pot shots down the street, just to "familiarise" myself with it!
And people wonder why both the police force and our court system is looked upon so badly!
pmsl
Originally posted by Monroe
IMHO if he was 'familiarising' himself he shouldn't have been doing 159mph!
No< I am pretty sure he would have been concentrating!
Originally posted by nobikejohn
they can be cripped for life.
.
How would you like to be told one of your loved ones had been knocked down by someone speeding, then to find out it was a police office.
Being cripped must be horrible, I am sure :(
The idea of being hit by a police office not nice a nice prospect either.
Originally posted by serapis
What a crock!!!!
I’m off to buy a new gun and take a few pot shots down the street, just to "familiarise" myself with it!
I was thinking along the same lines when i read on the BBC site that he also has a firearms license :o
I just hope they don't give him a new gun :loopy:
It amazes me how people still get shocked about this kind of story.
Not that I agree with it :mad:
There are plenty of cars out there capable of topping 160mph, with incredible insouciance and stability at that. But with all the one-dimensional 'speed kills' twaddle floating about nowadays, much of it endorsed, sponsored and produced by the powers-that-be, it's amazing a member of the Police force thought it okay to go for an Autobahn-storm on a UK motorway.
On his side however, is that he was most likely trained to be able to deploy this machine with little danger to the public. Police advanced drivers are very good at what they do. The double standard turns up when you consider what would have happened to even more proficient helmsmen, Schumacher say, Jenson Button, or rally hero Petter Solberg. They'd have been hauled over the coals and villified forever and a day. Oh, and banned for several years.
In order to help the Police advanced lads explore the limits of their toolbox there are several facilities off road. Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground for instance, near Leicester. Old bomber base turned test track facility. It has a back straight over 2 miles long where you can max almost any car (several 200+mph runs have been done there, and your correspondent was recently found hurtling down it at 165mph in a BMW Alpina). The Police do use it, and it's a pity our man PC Milton didn't head there for his moment of glory. The berk.
Ah, and before any of the 'ooh, speeding is the ultimate evil' lobby get cracking on this, I refer you back to several interminable threads in which it has been established heavily that speed doesn't kill, rubbish driving does. And inappropriate speed is rubbish driving. Which makes PC Milton's training a bit of a waste really.
Originally posted by joyphil
On his side however, is that he was most likely trained to be able to deploy this machine with little danger to the public. Police advanced drivers are very good at what they do.
The problem for me is not the speed he did on the motorway but the speed he did in a residential area i.e. 80+mph (limit 30mph). When you go this fast you will never stop if someone steps out (no matter what your training or how good your brakes are) and you will kill anyone you hit. Remember, people crossing the road aren't anticipating cars going at such speed (even at night when you might expect drivers to be going faster) and could easily step out thinking it is safe to cross when it isn't.
I got caught by a speed camera doing 39mph (having literally just left a 40mph zone) at midnight just outside Buxton. For driving "unsafely" I receive a £60 fine and 3 points. This policeman, in similar circumstance, does 80+ and it's OK?!?! I've done all sorts of driving courses, including rallying and formular ford, but that doesn't count as mitigation for me. Nor does the fact that I was driving a car with similar "sporting abilities" to that driven by this policeman. Double standards plain and simple.
P*sses me right off... if case you hadn't noticed!
i'm not sure about there being 'plenty', but there are certainly quite a few.
I agree that the speed on the motorway was actually less dangerous than in the residential area.
How much time on that track you were talking about cost joyphil?
Yup. There can't be many 30mph zones where 80+mph is ever safe. It really is time for a review of the way we travel on motorways. The 70mph speed limit is irrelevant and outdated. But until people learn to drive properly on the damn things the accident rate will stay up and the 70mph limit shall remain in place. Some people tailgate, others seem to think mirrors are something placed on a car to break up the monotony of its lines rather than to actually look in. Nobody ever seems to pull back in after an overtaking manouvre now, and the outside lane is eternally clogged by people who really would do better to pull back in or get their foot down. Hitler's pure theory of motorways was a good one, but only in Germany does anyone ever seem to read the small print of it, which states that there's a slow, medium and a fast lane. One moves out to overtake a slower vehicle then back in again, so people even faster than you can do their thing too. Simple really, isn't it?
Anyhow, apart from an Autobahn, where if you overtake at 120mph and don't pull in you obstruct someone passing you at 150, the only place for Miltonesque jollies is the track. I'm not sure about Brunters as I was there in a professional capacity (car mag writer). But most tracks offer track days for between £100-200 per day. In fact I just wrote a piece about this in the new Intelligent Life magazine (Economist publication). Look on the Web, find a track day, buy a helmet, check yer oil and tyres and go have some nice safe high-speed fun.
we actually have the safest motorways in europe, but i don't think it's down to the 70 limit.
Don_Kiddick 20-05-2005, 21:05 kind of links to this:
http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=40831
which is equally as ....... :gag:
Another cop, another cover up.
The last line made me smile...
http://tinyurl.com/avz7m
Flutterbyes 27-05-2005, 20:56 hmmm the other driver is charged with careless driving....
was he going at 90 as well then???
:rolleyes:
somehow i doubt it...
thats the long arm of the law for you ?, problem is it dosnt stretch as far as the police themselves.:loopy:
If I tried to get away on a drink driving charge on the basis I was testing my liver to determine it's handling levels and alcohol processing capabilites, I fear the CPS would probably take a dim view, and not be quite as generous as they were towards this errant young fellow.
If ever there was a blatant case of favouritism then this was it.
I can't believe the force in question could even think for a minute that anyone in the UK would believe them!
The next time I need police assistance and they aren't here within a minute if they are 2.6 miles away (do the maths!) then I think I have grounds for a formal complaint!!!!
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