Teen gets 90 hours for 90mph speeding

Waenlor, 18, of Flat 3, Penryn, Collings Road, St Peter Port, had admitted driving at a dangerous speed at a previous sitting of the court.

Advocate Rory Calderwood, prosecuting, said that officers in a police vehicle were in the car park of the Vale Church when they saw the Ford Fiesta being driven by Waenlor approaching from the direction of L’Ancresse.

Using a radar gun, a speed of 90mph was recorded. The road has a 35mph limit.

The officers followed Waenlor, stopping him at L’Islet where they warned him of the offence, and saw that he had a passenger.

He could not explain why he had driven at that speed.

It emerged at the sentencing hearing that Waenlor had slowed down before he reached the built-up area near the Vale Church itself.

In mitigation, Advocate Samuel Steel said Waenlor was genuinely sorry for what he had done and had written a letter to the court expressing this.

A letter from Waenlor’s employer was also presented to the court.

Waenlor was due to start a course as an apprentice carpenter, but in view of the anticipated driving ban this would see him falling behind due to his not being able to get to work.

He was anxious about being sent to prison, and he had packed a bag prepared for the worst.

Advocate Steel submitted that the seriousness of the offence could be marked by a long period of community service.

Judge Graeme McKerrell said that if he had been given any evidence that suggested Waenlor was driving at 90mph in a built-up area, he would be sending him to prison.

Waenlor was a juvenile at the time of the offence: ‘Had it not been for that fact, the outcome today might have been different,’ he said.

The passenger had been put at significant risk by Waenlor’s ‘extraordinarily foolish and stupid actions’.

He imposed 90 hours of community service, and banned Waenlor from driving for 15 months, taking into account the time he had already been off the roads as part of his bail conditions.