Cocky teenager snapped swearing riding hands-free on motorbike and tearing past same speed camera 19 times is banned from driving
By Hugo Gye PUBLISHED: 15:33, 7 November 2013 | UPDATED: 15:41, 7 November 2013
Luke Weeks, 19, repeatedly flicked V-sign at speed cameras in Dartford
He thought he'd get away with it because licence plate could not be seen
But teenager has now been banned from driving for a year
A teenage motorcyclist who repeatedly flicked a V-sign at the same speed camera as he roared past at double the speed limit has been banned from the road for a year.
Luke Weeks brazenly mocked police by making the rude gesture at cameras, believing he could not be caught because his licence plate was not visible.
But eventually police had so many images of him racing past the camera that they were able to track him down and arrest him.
Ban: Luke Weeks has been barred from driving after repeatedly flashing a V-sign at speed cameras
Medway magistrates heard that the 19-year-old was caught speeding 19 times by the same speed camera in Dartford, Kent between May 27 and August 27 this year.
He was travelling at speeds up to 60mph in a 30mph zone, and added to the danger by taking his hands off the handlebars and making rude gestures at the camera.
Weeks was apparently confident that he would get away with it because the camera faced the front of his bike and so could not read the licence plate on the rear.
Cases such as this one have prompted campaigners to call for motorbikes to have compulsory licence plates on the front and back, like cars.
Dangerous: At one point Weeks was shown with no hands on the bike even as he was carrying a passenger
The court heard that Weeks had two motorbikes, a Honda CB 250 and a Suzuki SV 650 SY, on which he raced through his home town.
Magistrates were told that he rode with 'no hands... and made offensive gestures even with a pillion passenger holding onto him'.
Weeks pleaded guilty to 19 counts of speeding and three counts of careless driving, and was fined £10 for each of the speeding offences, as well as £125 in court costs.
He was also banned from driving for a year, and ordered to take an extended driving test.
Repeat offender: Weeks, 19, was caught speeding 19 times by a single camera in Dartford, Kent
Katherine Meehan of the Kent and Medway Safety Camera Partnership said: 'The safety camera is there to reduce the number of crashes and casualties within the signed area, and is regularly visited by a safety camera van to further try to reduce speeding along this stretch of road.
'Mr Weeks posed a serious threat to himself, his passenger and other road users. Fortunately a collision did not occur on these occasions.
'Thankfully the majority of young riders do not display this behaviour, however in the past three years in our county there were 546 collisions involving 16- to 19-year-olds on motorcycles.'
Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z2kAXtAYjkFollow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
How very silly and irresponsible.
Done through frustration or irritation as a result of the Scamera's presence is still most unwise and bad riding behaviour.
Certainly yet another reason to remove the camera and to teach proper COAST values and ensure that riders are encouraged to become better in every aspect of their riding ability, skills and knowledge.
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
Members
I mean given that he was twice over the limit and not using his hands, I thought they’d have thrown the book at him!