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A motorcyclist who sped through an inner city street at more than 80mph in a 30mph zone and denied it was dangerous has been sentenced to 80 hours community punishment.
Robert Austin, 27, of Meadowside, Abingdon, was convicted on March 15 of dangerous driving by Oxford magistrates and sentenced on March 16.
The court heard that Austin rode his 500cc Kawasaki motorcycle at nearly three times the speed limit on Headington Hill, Oxford, on August 4 last year. He pleaded not guilty to one count of dangerous driving but admitted speeding at an earlier hearing.
Care worker Austin said he thought his driving was safe because he had a “clear road ahead with no pedestrians on the pavement either side.”
The court was told that Austin doesn’t intend to get back on a motorcycle and wants to pass a driving test behind the wheel of a car. But Philip Rubery, prosecuting, said Austin’s speed was “inherently dangerous”.
He said other factors — including a learner driver, a motorcyclist, a car trying to overtake and a cyclist — on the opposite side of the road — made his driving “even more dangerous”.
He added: “He should have been prepared for unexpected situations. Travelling at 83mph makes that virtually impossible.”
Austin told the court that he going home to Tiddington — his address at the time — after picking up new contact lenses in Oxford. He said: “I just assumed it was a 50mph zone. I didn’t realise how fast I was going. I was in a hurry to get back for an important phone call. I felt it was clear and there was no risk.”
Martin Bourne, defending, said his client was expecting a telephone call from his ex-girlfriend in Germany to talk about his unborn child.
He said: “She was pregnant by him. She was deciding whether to keep the child.”
Austin was was disqualified from driving for 12 months and ordered to pay £350 costs.
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