Motorcyclist shared video of himself riding at 95mph
A MOTORCYCLIST who shared a video on TikTok of himself riding along Forest Road at speeds of up to 95mph was jailed for four months by the Magistrate’s Court.
Judge Gary Perry described it as one of the worst cases of its kind that the court had ever seen.
Jose Pires, 28, initially claimed that the speedometer on his 600cc Yamaha motorbike was reading in km per hour but later accepted that it was in miles.
In the video, headed ‘living your best life’, which was shown in court, Pires is seen with only one hand on the handlebars of his bike with the camera occasionally moving to show the speedometer.
He told police that the camera had been mounted on his chest and was moving due to the wind.
The police were contacted by a member of the public who had seen the video clip and Pires was arrested.
He was unable to remember exactly when he recorded the clip, although it was between 1 January and 28 April this year.
He gave mostly no comment replies to questions, other than claiming that the speed was in kmph.
Pires, of Manor House, Mount Row, St Peter Port, had initially pleaded not guilty to riding in a manner that was dangerous to the public but changed his plea several weeks later.
Advocate Oliver Fattorini, defending, said nobody had been hurt and there was no damage to property as a result of Pires’ actions.
He accepted that his actions were serious and that he would probably be going to prison.
Although he had a criminal record, he had not offended since 2019 which suggested an underlying improvement on his part.
Pires had been diagnosed as mentally unwell and he had taken steps to address his mental health issues.
Letters from Pires and his parents were handed to the court. In his own letter, Pires said he wanted to improve his life. He had already lost his job and had not been able to take a new one with the pending court case.
He asked for compassion and said he wanted to make a meaningful contribution to the community.
Judge Gary Perry said some of the matters on his record were quite serious.
The video probably showed only a fraction of Pires’ riding that evening but he would sentence him on the basis of what it did show.
‘Speeds of 95mph in this island are mind-boggling,’ he said.
‘If that’s the way you live your best life you are going to end up taking somebody else’s life, if not your own.
‘It was totally irresponsible and one of the worst cases of its kind to come before this court.’
As well as four months in prison, Pires was banned from the roads for four years.
