Safe Speed Forums

A biker was caught driving at 150mph on a Devon road after being filmed by a speed measuring device so accurate it is used by Nasa, a court was told.

Oliver Marriott, 21, from Saltash, was stopped by police on the A38 near Plymouth in December 2008, Plymouth Crown Court heard.

A traffic officer told the jury he was convinced there would be an accident.

Mr Marriott denies dangerous driving, claiming the speed device produced a false reading.

The jury were shown video which they were told was of Mr Marriott, a pasty factory worker, on his green 636cc Kawasaki ZX motorcycle.

They were told traffic enforcement officer Pc David Williams had to use his specialist training as a police marksman in order to line up the speed measuring device on the motorbike's number plate long enough to get a reading.

'Fastest vehicle'

Pc Williams said: "I looked through the lens and when he came into view I pressed the trigger and recorded a speed of 150mph at a distance of 265m.

"As he approached a van... I thought he was going to collide with the rear of the vehicle.

"In 13 years as a traffic officer it was the fastest vehicle I have ever recorded."

Mr Marriott admitted being the bike's rider when he was stopped by police, but said he had only been driving at around 90mph.

He claimed the police equipment was calibrated wrongly or produced a false reading.

But Steven Langdon, a retired police officer, told the court that the device used to record Mr Marriott's speed, known as a Speedscope, was also used by Nasa to dock its space stations.

He said the Speedscope in question was calibrated in the correct way and gave accurate readings up to a distance of 1,000m.

The trial continues.

They were told traffic enforcement officer Pc David Williams had to use his specialist training as a police marksman in order to line up the speed measuring device on the motorbike's number plate long enough to get a reading.

I thought that motorbikes no longer had number plates at the front and yet it seems to suggest that he took the speed reading as the biker approached him???

Pc Williams said: "I looked through the lens and when he came into view I pressed the trigger and recorded a speed of 150mph at a distance of 265m.

Interesting his 'prior opinion' is at best the 'sound of the bike' ... can that 'count' ?

Steve if there is an error of 5mph and, as you say a small perhaps insignificant difference, unless that shows a more fundamental error ...?

But Steven Langdon, a retired police officer, told the court that the device used to record Mr Marriott's speed, known as a Speedscope, was also used by Nasa to dock its space stations.

That is a very curious justification. Space docking takes place at very low speeds - inches per second rather than hundreds of miles per hour. I would expect completely different instruments.

Surely only a slight change of software will allow the same hardware to be used for such purposes? Lidar is Lidar afterall?

The same hardware- yes. But if it has been reprogrammed it is no longer the same instrument. An instrument these days is a combination of hardware and software.

Having had another look at the length of that section of road and where the camvan was sitting, he must have had a good bit of time to look (their camvans have side windows) to retain onto the receding carriageway I wonder why he took so long ?
Perhaps it's a boring miserable job, and he was lulled into the boredom of it all - bit like the drivers - slow reactions and everyone paying a necessary disproportionate amount of time on 'speed' than driving / riding quality or even tailgating - still they will start auto fines for that next ! ... (I do not condone speeding).

no doubt PC williams visits this road numerous times since at least 13-12-07 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7840369.stm

different area site code but the road looks the same