Biker did 122mph in a 40mph zone

Wednesday 9 January 2013

A BIKER who claimed his actions in riding at 122mph in a 40mph zone were not dangerous has been banned from driving for 18 months and fined £500.

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Jamie Beatson

Sheriff Elizabeth Munro rejected suggestions Robert Lockhart should not be found guilty of dangerous driving, adding: "I can't think anybody in the world would think driving at 122mph in a 40mph limit was what a careful and competent driver would do".

The sheriff was told police saw Lockhart, 51, overtaking cars on his Suzuki Hayabusa motorbike before hitting 122mph on a built-up stretch of the A92 dual-carriageway in Dundee in May last year.Lockhart, of Abernethy, Perthshire – who has two previous convictions for speeding – was stopped by the officers and admitted to them his actions had been a "moment of madness".However, he pled not guilty to a charge of dangerous driving when he appeared at Dundee Sheriff Court yesterday.Constable Patrick Nicol, of Tayside Police's Road Policing Unit, said Lockhart's Suzuki – which is capable of doing 190mph – was "one of the most powerful bikes in production when it came out".Mr Nicol added: "We were detecting traffic going eastbound but heard the sound of a motorcycle accelerating westbound."We saw the bike come round the roundabout overtaking cars in lane one, before accelerating rapid and hard."I locked on the speed device and it read 122mph. The speed limit in that section of road is 40mph."He added: "There are housing estates on both sides of the carriageway, we ourselves were parked in a bus bay and there are bus stops on both sides of the road."There is a pub on the road and beside that there are shops, a nursery, fast food outlets and a hotel."We got in the patrol car and pursued him. "He had gone round the left-hand bend – which is also a hazard as you cannot see round it at that kind of speed – and over the next roundabout and was slowed down by traffic."We stopped him and he was very remorseful. He said it was a moment of madness."Fiscal depute Ross Cargill said: "I'd submit a speed of this kind on this road does amount to dangerous driving."But defence lawyer Robert McCallum argued: "There was nothing to suggest dangers on the road at the point where he was clocked."The distance he covered was relatively short. Where are the obvious dangers on a beautiful day with light traffic that he should have been aware of?"I would submit his driving does not come down to that standard. He is guilty of speeding but I'd ask you to acquit him of dangerous driving."Sheriff Munro said she had no hesitation in finding Lockhart guilty. She added: "You appreciated yourself what you had done when you were stopped – you said it was a moment of madness."

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Biker did 122mph in a 40mph zone

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