Wheelie bid biker wins court battle
Wednesday 6th January 2010, 6:00PM GMT.
Barry Brittain, from Hollinswood, Telford, on his Honda CBX 600
A Shropshire motorcyclist who entered the World’s Fastest Wheelie competition has been cleared of dangerous driving after practising death-defying manoeuvres on a Telford industrial estate.
Barry Brittain, 31, of Dunsheath, Telford, was found not guilty after a trial at Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday. He had denied driving his Honda motorcycle dangerously on Stafford Park 10 on March 6 last year.
The jury found him not guilty of dangerous driving and not guilty of an alternative charge of careless driving.
Judge Robin Onions told Mr Brittain: “Skilled though you are there is a place and a time for everything and a public road is not the place for wheelies. I fully support the jury’s verdict but none of us know when to expect the unexpected.”
The jury was shown CCTV footage of Brittain riding up and down a road on Stafford Park 10 five times doing manoeuvres at a speed of about 30mph, including doing wheelies while sitting on the tank of his motorcycle with his legs hanging forward over the handlebars.
But Brittain, who entered the World’s Fastest Wheelie competition in York last August and recorded a speed of 110mph, said he was always in control of the bike.
In interview he told police he had a long history of interest in motorcycles and wanted to enhance his control and self skill.
He told the jury he did not believe he was on a public road at the time and had chosen a “quiet” location.
And speaking after the case the HGV truck driver, who works for Simmonds Transport in Telford, said he was relieved at the verdict.
“The case has been hanging over me for 10 months and at worst I could have gone to prison or lost my job because driving is my livelihood,” he said.
“I am just elated that it was a not guilty verdict. In my eyes I was practising in a sensible and safe location but in hindsight perhaps I could have chosen somewhere more suitable.”
The jury heard modifications to the motorcycle meant in first gear it could not exceed about 30mph.
Brittain said he was in first gear throughout the incident and had he fallen off it would have caused minimal damage to himself or the bike.
By Rhea Parsons
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Another triumph for British Justice. There you are lads, you read it here, get down to Stafford 10 and you can do wheelies to your hearts content.
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Great News, I can now go out and do the same knowing that if the police, were to stop me, I will get away with it.!!!!!!!!!!!
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I remember a chap used to do this sort of thing down the A464 towards the M54 at half past five during the evening rush hour. A few years ago now.
I wonder what happened to him.
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I must say that in these circumstances I am surprised that a prosecution was brought in the first place. Have the police got nothing better to do (other than waste tax-payers money)?
Clearly the 12 peers of Mr Brittain had more common sense than the police.
And if Judge Onions “fully supported” the jury’s verdict, why didn’t he stop the trial?
Absolutely ridiculous. The police have been persecuting the responsible motorist ever since they were caught in the imfamous ’150mph M54′ incident.
The police should stick to doing what they do best, what ever that may be.
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Congratulations to Barry and the jury.
How refreshing that common sense can sometimes prevail in motoring offences nowadays, particularly when motorcycles are involved.
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“I must say that in these circumstances I am surprised that a prosecution was brought in the first place.”
Lucy, it was brought because he was breaking the law.
There are special places to pull wheelies and perform stunts. Not public roads.
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he was out of the way in a quiet location to right he shouldnt be done for it, good bit of advertising for lost boys there to
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Barry is part of a club called the Lost Boys. Why not find out about them and look at the work they do for charity !!
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I have to agree 100% with Lucy W’s comments.
What a waste of tax payers (yours and mine) money. Not to mention the 12 peers who get their expenses paid, the day paid off work. with pay etc.
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The case should never have gone to trial. A skilled rider pulling wheelies where it’ll do no one any harm should be left alone. Any rider pulling wheelies through rush hour traffic should have the book thrown at them.
BTW, good on the Lost Boys and all the other local clubs who do so much good work for charity.
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I am surprised, a very bad example, if a person had been injured, would the outcome have been the same? This result could be seen by others as carte blanche to pull wheelies anywhere. What about the alternative offence of not being in a position to be in proper control of the vehicle?
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Skilled Rider or not wheelies are for the track or the airfield not industrial estates or public highways. If a car driver was to drive the same area talking on a mobile phone or at 3mph over the speed limit i’m would have been a different outcome in court. Anyway at least the rider and his bike would not have been seriously damaged had he hit a law abiding pedestrian on their way to work in order to provide for their family.
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My son was stopped at 1-30 am for exceeding the speed limit. Not a soul about. He broke the law, was fined and points ect.
It seems that doing wheelies on a public road, while sitting on the handlebars is acceptable behaviour in Telford.
Does no-one read the Highway Code any more?
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One bloke doing wheelies is nowhere near as dangerous as half the driving population of Telford Jumping lanes to avoid queues or failing to indicate just because they can’t be bothered. This happens in and around Stafford Park every day and the Police do nothing about it..
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what a great result for commen sense,from judge robin onions.a police service that condones one of its constables driving at 154 mph on a public road to see how fast he could go,trys to to do a motor cycle rider for doing wheeles on an industrial estate at 30 mph.gordon brown goverment is not the only ones to waste tax payers money it seems.
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All i ever read about these days is how the plod and the cps are wasting millions of tax payers money, and nobody can stop them, they are a law unto themselves, give some of that wasted money to the nhs
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