Biker speeds at 122mph with 14-year-old son on back

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Grey Thumper · #1 Post by **Grey Thumper** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 8:00 pm

Article text. Click on link for video:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... -back.html

Bennett was told by the judge that his 1300cc Suzuki would have become a "missile" if he had lost control.

Bennett, 47, was riding the motorcycle, with his son, Russell, on the A361 North Devon link road, near South Molton, when a police camera unit caught him.

The cleaning supervisor, who is divorced from the boy's mother, had picked up his son for a Sunday contact visit last April.

Sentencing him at Exeter Crown Court, Judge Phillip Wassall told him: "If you had burst a tyre or someone coming the other way had pulled out you would have lost control of the bike.

"Had you lost control, the motorcycle would have become a missile and it is certain there would have been a serious accident or highly probably the death of at least one other road user."

The judge added that Bennett's lack of responsibility was "almost unbelievable" when considering the impact any accident would have had on the boy's mother and her family, and on his own family.

The court heard the camera picked up an image of the boy, who was not wearing gloves or protective trousers, holding the back of the seat with his bare hands.

The court was shown a 10-second video of Bennett speeding along the wet road at for up to half a mile as he approached a bend. Several cars passed in the opposite direction.

Bennett, whose motorcycle has a top speed of around 200mph, was travelling at more than twice the 60mph speed limit.

Lee Bremridge, prosecuting, said the police camera operator was alerted by the "sheer noise". Bennett was traced by the registration number and initially denied he had been riding the motorcycle that day. But he admitted the offence when shown the footage.

David Sapiecha, for Bennett, it was an "out of character" offence over a short distance. Bennett was a man of good character who had been driving for 30 years and riding motorcycles since he was a youngster, he added.
Bennett, of Barnstaple, North Devon, admitted dangerous driving. He was also banned from driving for 18 months.

Afterwards, Pc Duncan Russell of the Devon and Cornwall Safety Partnership, said: "This sort of speed should be confined to the racetrack."
After a previous hearing, Bennett said: "It had started to rain and I pulled back the throttle.

"My Suzuki GSXR is the fastest bike around. But I hold my hands up. I was doing 122mph on that road and that was dangerous, especially with my lad on board."

Gunslinger · #2 Post by **Gunslinger** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 8:36 am

Wow that's a pretty harsh punishment for something like this IMO. I've seen drunk drivers here in the States get off with alot less time than that. I'm not saying he was in the right but the jail time seems excessive to me especially for a first offense.

edd the mule · #3 Post by **edd the mule** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 9:14 am

yes he should have made his lad wear gloves. he must have had very cold hands

RC DAVE · #4 Post by **RC DAVE** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 11:29 am

it doesnt do 200 garantee ya that

Deejay · #5 Post by **Deejay** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 2:04 pm

What a maroon.

He should have his license permanently revoked and made to watch those graphic crash and accident videos very day 'til he's out of jail.

shane-o · #6 Post by **shane-o** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 6:14 pm

dont know what difference gloves are going to make at 200kph on a single lane public road with on coming traffic in the wet

And yeah he deserves jail, sure no one was injured, but that was just luck not skill, and to have ya young one on the back just makes that much more ridiculous.

This kinda stuff gives us all a bad name, it encourages the governments to make even more legislation against us, next they will want to ban the Busa

unwitty unwitty unwitty

motokid · #7 Post by **motokid** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 6:31 pm

Gunslinger wrote:Wow that's a pretty harsh punishment for something like this IMO. I've seen drunk drivers here in the States get off with alot less time than that. I'm not saying he was in the right but the jail time seems excessive to me especially for a first offense.

You think that was harsh? Wait until they revoke his visitation rights for the boy. Besides, how many chances should morons be given after all?

K

PacificShot327 · #8 Post by **PacificShot327** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 9:19 pm

The less people like that on the road, the better. That guy is a harm to us all.

Gunslinger · #9 Post by **Gunslinger** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 8:29 am

motokid wrote:You think that was harsh? Wait until they revoke his visitation rights for the boy. Besides, how many chances should morons be given after all?K

Well according to you, none... I'm just glad that some of you 'Holier than Thou' types that have never made a mistake in your life are not court judges.

jonnythan · #10 Post by **jonnythan** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 9:27 am

He got what he deserved.

It's much better than being dead or living with the reality that you killed your own son. He should be thankful for his prison sentence - there are much worse alternatives.