North Yorkshire PC caught during blitz on speeding bikers (From York Press)

PC Thomas Holliday caught during blitz on speeding bikers

8:07am Monday 17th September 2012 in News By Press reporter

A POLICEMAN from North Yorkshire was caught riding his Triumph motorbike at 84mph in a 60mph zone during a bank holiday blitz on speeding bikers.

PC Thomas Holliday, 27, was riding a Triumph 650 and his colleague, PC Paul McGuigan, 45, was on a Honda 1000 when they were recorded for just over a mile on the A166 , west of Garrowby Hill.

The speed trap was part of a joint Humberside and North Yorkshire Police bank holiday operation, code-named Achilles, which was aimed at catching speeding bikers on country lanes.

The officers’ average speed in a 60mph zone was 84mph, a court was told.

When stopped, they said they were off-duty officers on their way to Bridlington via the Fridaythorpe biker’s cafe. They were offered the choice of completing a rider referral course as a direct alternative to a fixed fine, a court summons or penalty points on their licences.

PC Vincent Worrell, the Humberside Police officer who stopped the two, initially said he considered charging them for riding without due care and attention – a far more serious offence, the court heard.

PC Worrell said he had seen other vehicles kicking up dust on the edge of the road as they made room for the speeding off-duty policemen to overtake.

Holliday, a police off-road motorcyclist, from South Milford, took the course.

The court heard it was his bike that was timed while the only evidence against PC McGuigan was the officer saying there was only a “few bike lengths” between them.

McGuigan, of Birkenshaw, Bradford, denied doing 84mph and told an appeal against conviction hearing at Hull Crown Court: “When he said I had forced a vehicle over kicking up dust, I was flabbergasted.

“The police officer said he had recorded Tom at 84mph.

“He said I had done the same. I had no idea I had been speeding.”

He was found guilty at an earlier hearing at Bridlington Magistrates court of speeding and given four points, a £300 fine and ordered to pay £300 costs and £15 surcharge.

Sitting with two magistrates, Judge David Tremberg told the appeal hearing there was no mistake the pair were speeding.

“We are satisfied that PC Worrell’s evidence was accurate, honest and reliable. We are satisfied so that we are sure there was nothing between PC Holliday on the yellow motorbike and PC McGuigan on the black motorbike when he commenced the speed estimate.

“Both motorcyclists were in view. Mr Worrell has not made a mistake when he has calculated Mr Holliday at 84mph and we are satisfied so that we are sure that applies to Mr McGuigan.”

He ordered McGuigan, a neighbourhood beat officer, to pay a further £415 costs to the crown court on top of his initial points fine and costs.