Cop's 159mph let-off

A police officer has been cleared of speeding and dangerous driving, despite reaching speeds of more than 60mph in a 30mph zone, 120mph in a 60mph, and a highest speed of 159mph.

PC Mark Milton, from Telford, was recorded by the video camera of the patrol car on the M54 on December 5, 2003. Ludlow Magistrates Court heard that Pc Milton was trained in advanced driving and was ‘familiarising’ himself with a new car. The court also heard that the roads on which Pc Milton drove were deserted at the time of the patrol.

District Judge Bruce Morgan acquitted him after describing him as the ‘creme de la creme’ of police drivers. Two police officers who gave evidence for the Crown Prosecution Service, including West Mercia Police’s senior driving instructor, had declined to classify the defendant’s driving as dangerous.