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A COCKY biker who thought he was above the law when he raced past speed cameras in Leighton with two fingers in the air has been banned from driving.
Philip Coffey knew his picture was taken time and time again, at speeds up to 105 mph, but with his face obscured by his helmet and no number plate on the front of his high-powered BMW, he thought he would get away with it.
But the 45-year-old bus driver found himself in court facing 10 charges of dangerous driving.
Coffey, who told a jury "I don't like the existence of them in this country", hadn't reckoned on the determination of police who made extensive checks which revealed just three similar machines to his in the county.
Also markings on his leathers when he was eventually traced, could be picked out on the pictures.
Coffey, from Dunstable, was told by Judge Michael Kay QC at Luton Crown Court on Tuesday: "Some of these speeds were eye-watering. You decided to take the system on and I am pleased to say you lost."
A jury cleared him of dangerous driving, but convicted him of nine counts of careless driving.
He then pleaded guilty to a further nine charges of speeding, during the same period in the same locations.
The offences covered a period between February and June last year when he was caught by the same three cameras in Leighton on the A505 bypass and another in Dunstable.
Coffey was caught nine
more times, on one occasion twice the same day, but at slightly lower speeds and without gesturing.
The bus driver had pleaded not guilty to all the dangerous driving charges.
He was banned from driving for a year, fined £900 with £600 costs.
Ban
Judge Kay said that the ban meant he did not need to impose penalty points, but if he had done there would have been 72.
He told him: "It is not clear why you did this apart from sheer cussedness. There are a group of people who think cameras should not be there at all and it is some sort of state conspiracy and an
infringement of personal rights.
"But these cameras had been placed at locations where there had been accidents involving fatalities."
Under cross examination Coffey accepted that he thought he would not get caught. He said he did not drive dangerously as he used his good observation and long experience as a biker.
Philip Coffey knew his picture was taken time and time again, at speeds up to 105 mph, but with his face obscured by his helmet and no number plate on the front of his high-powered BMW, he thought he would get away with it.
But the 45-year-old bus driver found himself in court facing 10 charges of dangerous driving.
Coffey, who told a jury "I don't like the existence of them in this country", hadn't reckoned on the determination of police who made extensive checks which revealed just three similar machines to his in the county.
Also markings on his leathers when he was eventually traced, could be picked out on the pictures.
Coffey, from Dunstable, was told by Judge Michael Kay QC at Luton Crown Court on Tuesday: "Some of these speeds were eye-watering. You decided to take the system on and I am pleased to say you lost."
A jury cleared him of dangerous driving, but convicted him of nine counts of careless driving.
He then pleaded guilty to a further nine charges of speeding, during the same period in the same locations.
The offences covered a period between February and June last year when he was caught by the same three cameras in Leighton on the A505 bypass and another in Dunstable.
Coffey was caught nine
more times, on one occasion twice the same day, but at slightly lower speeds and without gesturing.
The bus driver had pleaded not guilty to all the dangerous driving charges.
He was banned from driving for a year, fined £900 with £600 costs.
Ban
Judge Kay said that the ban meant he did not need to impose penalty points, but if he had done there would have been 72.
He told him: "It is not clear why you did this apart from sheer cussedness. There are a group of people who think cameras should not be there at all and it is some sort of state conspiracy and an
infringement of personal rights.
"But these cameras had been placed at locations where there had been accidents involving fatalities."
Under cross examination Coffey accepted that he thought he would not get caught. He said he did not drive dangerously as he used his good observation and long experience as a biker.
Be careful with that one they've already done somebody for careless driving for doing the exact same thing 
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