Driver clocked near Goole doing 132mph in an Astra van

A GARAGE worker who was clocked by police speeding at 132mph in a Vauxhall Astra van near Goole left magistrates flabbergasted he could do anything like 132mph in a diesel.

Daniel Pearson, 29, had his foot to the floor on the M180 near Goole in a black Vauxhall 1.9TDi  van. Stunned police officers pulled him to the side of the road and charged him with exceeding the 70mph motorway limit by 62mph.

Magistrate Shane Bobby told Pearson: “Well who would have thought an Astra van could do 132mph? Not me. That’s’ a fact. Sadly you have proved that now.”

Police solicitor John Thurkettle told Hull Magistrates’ Court Pearson was stopped at 12.20pm on February 10 on the M180 speeding at 132mph.

The court heard he already had two lots of three points on his licence from July 2014 and October 2015 and was facing an automatic ban.

Pearson, a garage worker and father of three, told police he was speeding to get a friend to an interview in Doncaster and had been told to hurry up.

He was late and floored the diesel on the motorway.

Defence solicitor Roy Foreman said: “As a result of this conviction his Astra van is for sale.  He may only get £3,000-£4000. It may be wrong of me to make light of this but the advert may well indicate that this vehicle is capable of come considerable speed – 132mph. He has the documents to prove it ! It may be a considerable selling point for some one!”

He said Pearson would lose his job taking vehicles for test drives and MOTs.

He said Pearson had recently split from his partner of eight years and the costs of losing his job would have a knock on effect on the family. He said he would be reduced to living on benefits and his sideline of buying and selling cars would hit him hard because of the loss of his licence.

“This act of foolishness will live with him for many years.” said Mr Foreman. “Once he does get his license back his insurance premiums will rocket.”

Chairman of the bench Shane Bobby told Pearson: “We taken on board your mitigation, but you were spotted driving at 132mph on the M180. At that speed the police could have charged you with much more serious offences – but they haven’t.  We must ban you from driving for 56 days.”

Pearson of Fairview Avenue, Grimsby, pleaded guilty to one offence of exceeding the speed limit. He was fined £300 and ordered to pay £85 costs and pay a £30 victim surcharge.

Speaking outside court Pearson played down how his van could travel so fast. He said:  “My van was not modified. It is a 1.9TDi. I regret doing what I did. I am going to have to take the punishment like a man.”