A motorcyclist who reached speeds in excess of 130mph during rush hour and failed to stop for police has been sentenced.
Lawrence Oakford overtook other vehicles dangerously, crossed solid white lines on the road, and reached more than triple the speed limit while leading police on a chase after along the A361 from Wroughton to Berwick Bassett.
Officers spotted the 33-year-old, of Hamilton Drive in Market Lavington, at around 5.30pm on April 12 and tried to catch up with him but aborted the pursuit due to the high speeds they were travelling at approaching small villages and the danger this posed to other road users.
However, they arrested him two days later at his home address and he later appeared pleaded guilty to failing to stop for police and dangerous driving.
Earlier this month at Salisbury Magistrates' Court, the defendant received 24-week prison sentence which has been suspended for 24 months.
He has also been disqualified from driving for 24 months and ordered to pay £85 towards court costs and £154 to fund victim services.
PC Ben Greening from the Roads Policing Unit said: “The speeds at which Oakford reached whilst failing to stop for police were absolutely unacceptable, especially given this was during a busy time of day and approaching areas where there were likely to be pedestrians.
“He showed a total disregard for other road users and it is really quite extraordinary that nobody was injured or worse killed as a result of his stupidity.
“I am pleased he has been taken off the roads and no longer poses a danger to others.”
Wiltshire Police released a brief snippet of dashcam footage from the car of the officers who pursued Oakford along the A361.
It shows them negotiating bends in the road and carefully overtaking other vehicles before reaching speeds of 120mph while travelling down the middle of a straight stretch of the highway.
Speeding and dangerous driving are two of the most common causes of fatal road traffic accidents, along with using a handheld mobile phone, being under the influence of drink or drugs, and not wearing a seatbelt.
Wiltshire Police's Fatal Five campaign raises awareness of these offences and focuses officers' efforts on catching drivers who commit them in order to reduce the risk of a serious accident occurring.
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