A “STUPID” man caught driving at speeds of up to 90 miles an hour between Helensburgh and Cardross has been banned from the roads for almost three years.
Thomas Harris, 20, drove his white Peugeot dangerously on Cardross Road, between Hermitage Academy and the Cardross Crematorium access road, on November 9, 2019.
He failed to comply with road markings, drove at excessive speeds of up to 90mph, and repeatedly caused the vehicle to cross into the opposing carriageway.
And despite being caught by police, less than three months later Harris was at it again when he was caught driving dangerously in Dumbarton.
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On March 1, 2020, at Glasgow Road, West Bridgend and Woodyard Road in Dumbarton, he again drove at excessive speed while being pursued by police.
On this occasion Harris failed to observe a traffic light, approached a blind corner at excessive speeds, hit his breaks harshly and drove into the junction at Woodyard Road and crossed into the opposing carriageway.
Harris, of Westerhill Farm in Cardross, appeared at Dumbarton Sheriff Court for sentencing on December 18, having previously admitted two offences.
Sheriff Frances McCartney said Harris’s behaviour had been “extremely foolish” and told him he would learn a “very hefty lesson here”.
The November 2019 incident, the court heard, happened at 1.15am in a 60mph zone. Police observed Harris from a distance because of the speeds at which he was travelling.
In the March 1 crime, at about 9.40pm, police were in a marked vehicle when they saw Harris speeding.
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When he eventually stopped, at a dead end, he was “immediately apologetic”, said fiscal depute Danielle McGuinness.
Defence solicitor Brian McGuire said “stupid” was the word his own client had used.
He added: “It probably went beyond that. He seems to have a realistic assessment that he is going to be off the road for a considerable amount of time.”
The court was told there was a previous lack of offending and Harris had stayed out of trouble since March.
Sheriff McCartney imposed a community payback order with 18 months social work supervision and 240 hours of unpaid work in the community within that time.
He was disqualified from driving for 32 months and must resit his driving test before getting back behind the wheel unaccompanied.
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