Arrest over YouTube film
Thursday 29th January 2009, 2:30PM GMT.
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An 18-year-old man has handed himself into Shropshire police after a video showing a driver doing speeds of more than 100mph between Shrewsbury and Telford was posted on YouTube.
The Shropshire Star yesterday published images of the driver, as police launched an investigation in a bid to track him down. West Mercia Police said a man handed himself in to Telford Police Station last night.
The YouTube video showed a motorist driving from the Column area of Shrewsbury to Telford in 10 minutes.
While doing speeds of up to 105mph the driver is seen to steer with his knees while he sorts out CDs, tailgate other motorists and take his hands off the wheel.
Maria Hawkaluk, spokeswoman for West Mercia Police, said: “An 18-year-old man attended Telford police station yesterday evening following an appeal in the media.
“He was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and interviewed before being released on police bail pending further inquiries.”
She said police had received a number of calls following the article in yesterday’s Shropshire Star.
The video has now been removed from the website and the account of the user “pimmytowell”, who posted the footage, has been deleted.
It is unknown whether this was done by YouTube administrators or the account holder, whose profile said he was a student at Telford College of Arts and Technology in Wellington.
Principal Doug Boynton today said the student body was “appalled” at the actions of the driver.
He said: “It has caused a significant interest from the student body, many of which are appalled. The last thing we want is notoriety for a reckless and illegal act.”
Mr Boynton said “pimmytowell” was a student at TCAT last year but had now left the college.
“We have not been able to identify the driver but we are working with the police. This kind of activity needs to be investigated and stopped,” he added.
The actions of the driver have been condemned by residents and officials in the county.
By Rhea Parsons
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Good for him. He’s done the right thing.
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I assume the police are still trying to locate the driver of the black range rover that is also doing excess speeds in front of this driver???
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He had no choice but to hand himself in,maybe a video of his arrest should be posted on you tube show the other youngsters that will try copying his stupidity what happens next !!!!!!!!!!!!!
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What only 100 mph? Remember the police officer who managed 159mph in his Vauxhall Vectra, was he arrested? Was he banned, sacked, demoted? Of course not, he is there to persecute taxpayers not to obey the laws he enforces.
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Stupid taking the film but personally 100mph no big deal. There was two other cars going equally as fast,one substantially faster.
I would have thought the police would have had there hands full chasing drug dealers and thugs than a couple of kids going a bit over the speed limit. We’ve all done
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i trust that every effort is being made to track down the Landrover in front of him and the car that must have been going over 120mph that overtook them both?
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Ironic this video is preceded by a car advertisement! Also that they travel past the crematorium. I hope the police take them to see a victim of bad driving behaviour.
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Does anyone have a link to the actual video on youtube,this video cant be resized and it pathetically tiny. I hate video’s that can’t be resized.
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I bet he’s hoping his speedo was out by 6mph!!!
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My foot slipped
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to be real going fast just rocks
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To be honest if the driver in the range rover does not get pulled up for the outragous driving then what a joke the police force really are
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i would have thought he will be doen for dangerous driving as im not 100% if they can do him for the speed due to not having calibrated equipment involved etc same as the merc ml that is in front of him and the bmw that goes past.
Also yes driving at 100+ is dangerouse but the fact he is in a rover 100 (metro) and these arnt as stable as newer larger cars such as the bmw are made to do higher speeds and coem with tyres etc capable of these speeds (wounder what the speed rating was on that metro probably only just 100 if at all) is were the major saftly problem is along with only being a unexperianced driver
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As he’s still within the three year new driver sector, hopefully he will receive more than 6 points.
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I hope all 3 drivers get done for this idiotic driving!! I got given 3 points and £60 fine for driving 32mph in a 30 limit.
Fortunately noone was hurt or worse killed by these idiots, but there could quite easily of been innocent victims if any of them had lost control of their vehicles.
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Given that you can’t even read the number plates of either of the other two cars speeding down the road, the police might struggle to catch them. Unless those drivers also want to give themselves up? This lad appears to have been caught because he was stupid enough to let his mate film his face! He didn’t have much choice but to hand himself in!
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In no way do I condone speeding but lets face it everytime you go on the motorway you see loads of cars fly past you and most are doing alot more the 105 mph.
Also as said above what about the police driver doing 159mph? in saying that I always notice police cars speeding or getting up someones rear end to shift them out of the way.
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Dan,
Were you driving whilst typing that?
Nikki, If you did get fined for doing 32mph in a 30 limit you should have appealed, as they have to give a leeway of at least 10%.
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mike, if the police are responding to a call out, and are sitting behind cars on the road, are you happy that they dont move them out of the way then? Thats the only time tailgating is acceptable surely, and i dont think the police are “shifting us out the way” to impress their mates do you? oh, and any decent driver who knows how to drive will anticipate the police coming up behind them…and…guess what Mike…..THEY WILL MOVE!
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A bit of a sensationalist story really. Ok the lad was speeding but in the paper it appeared to read that he was sorting the CD’s out at 100mph when in reality he was only doing about 25 mph.
His driving wasn’t particularly bad, he waited to see why that car was indicating before he overtook. I travel a lot and the worst drivers on motorways are the ones doing 45mph ot those that slow down as they go down the slip roads instead of matching their speed to that on the motorway.
As others have pointed out the Range Rover and the silvr car were also doing well over 100mph. We’ve all done some daft things when we were young. Not sure what they will prosecute him for, it was hardly reckless driving and his speedo may not be accurate. If it was 10% high like mine is he was only doing just over 90mph.
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Not to mention the times I have been overtaken by Police cars not on blue light runs, that also exceed the speed limits! No doubt late for their tea.
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fair play 10 minutes (y)
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Get him to drive the recycling lorries – job done.
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I don’t think a metro can do 105mph so why all the fuss
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it has been proven by the police that it is safe to drive at 153mph on that road
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