A FATHER-of-four, caught riding at 120 miles per hour through Powys on his motorbike, says he could lose his job, after a court disqualified him for 56 days.
Magistrates this week told Blake Bartley his excessive speed on a single-carriageway road could have “ended in disaster”.
The 30-year-old was caught travelling at a speed of 120mph – double the legal limit – on the Llanidloes bypass on the afternoon of June 12 this year.
Bartley admitted an offence of speeding and appeared at Llandrindod Wells Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, November 5, to ask for leniency.
The court heard the offence occurred at 2.42pm on June 12, with Bartley riding his Yamaha FZS motorcycle on the A470 during a tour of Wales with friends.
The court was told the stretch of road was a single carriageway, where the speed limit is 60mph. Magistrates were told Bartley had no points on his licence at the time of the offence.
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Speaking on his own behalf, Bartley, of Rudman Park, Chippenham, Wiltshire, described the offence as a “stupid mistake”.
“It was a very serious one,” he told the court. “There isn’t an excuse. I was doing a tour of Wales on holiday. My friends were a bit in front of me so I didn’t want to get lost, as I don’t know the area well.
“I sped up to get back to them, which was a very stupid mistake. It wasn’t a conscious decision to reach that speed."
Bartley said a ban would have a dramatic impact on him as he is the sole earner in his household, and he requires his licence for his job, as a plumber.
Magistrates empathised with Bartley but said the high speed meant they could not impose only penalty points.
“Doing 120mph on a single carriageway could have ended in disaster, for yourself and others, so it was really stupid,” Stephan Hays, chair of the bench, told him.
Magistrates banned him from driving for 56 days. They also fined him £623 and he must pay a £249 surcharge and £90 costs – a grand total of £962.
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