An “off-the-scale” speeder has been banned from the road for riding his motorcycle at 131mph on the A12 near Woodbridge.
Ashley Buxton told magistrates he could lose his job as a lorry driver if stripped of his licence – but the 27-year-old was afforded no alternative for the speed he was travelling – one of the fastest in recent history across Suffolk.
Buxton, of Plummers Dell, Great Blakenham, was clocked on his red Kawasaki ZX 600 E5 by a laser device near Wickham Market at 3.40pm on May 11.
Prosecutor Alex Morrison told Ipswich magistrates that Buxton had no endorsements on his licence being caught by a roads police officer, who described conditions on the day of the offence as “clear and sunny”.
Buxton, whose bike was the only vehicle visible on the stretch of southbound A12 at the time, presented magistrates with a character reference from his boss before saying: “I’m sorry for doing it. It’s unacceptable.
“I’m an HGV driver with a clean licence. If I lose it, I’m pretty certain I’ll lose my job.
“I went for a ride after work and didn’t realise what I was doing.”
Buxton sold his motorcycle soon afterwards but said he required a licence for work and collecting his son from nursery on certain days.
He was told magistrates would be going well outside sentencing guidelines by not banning him for an “off-the-scale” speed, before being banned for 100 days, fined £426 and told to pay £100 in costs.
In August 2016, Lakenheath mechanic Louie Howlett was banned for 56 days after travelling at 154mph in his Seat Leon on the A11 near Icklingham. That month, Stephen Morgan, of Cullingham Road, Ipswich, drove a Porsche at 129mph on the A14 at Sproughton and was banned for six months.
In March this year, Army captain James Golding, from Upminster, kept his licence after driving an Aston Martin DB9 at speeds of up to 130mph on the A12 near the Essex border at Dedham.
A police spokesman said: “This motorcyclist was prosecuted for excess speed and received a fine and a driving ban. Such an outcome can affect your job, your insurance premium, your mobility for the duration of the ban and potentially employment prospects for the rest of your life.
“Speed limits are in place for safety reasons and we will continue to deal with drivers who are flouting the law and potentially putting other road users in danger.”
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