A dangerous driver caught travelling at over double the legal speed limit on a wet road has been given a suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay £5,000 in costs.
Dean Mcevansoneya drove his high-powered Mercedes E63 AMG at 118mph in the rain on the A361 at Ashford near Barnstaple in North Devon – a road which has a speed limit of 50mph.
Another driver was also caught speeding at 84mph in a car directly behind Mcevansoneya.
The incident was captured on camera by a Devon and Cornwall Police Speed Detection Officer (SDO) who was carrying out enforcement on the road during the morning of Saturday, July 3, 2021.
The officer quickly formed the opinion that both vehicles were travelling well in excess of the speed limit and conducted a speed check on them, which can be seen in this video.
The road is a short stretch of dual carriageway on the outskirts of Barnstaple which goes from a 30mph limit into a 50mph limit. It was raining at the time of the offences.
Mcevansoneya, 54, from Mortehoe, Woolacombe, initially pleaded not guilty to the offence of dangerous driving, but was found guilty by a jury at trial. He appeared at Exeter Crown Court on Thursday, January 12 for sentencing by Judge Stephen Climie.
He was jailed for three months, suspended for two years, and ordered to pay a fine and costs totalling £5,000. He was also disqualified from driving for four months and must now take an extended driving test in order to reclaim his license.
The second driver appeared at North Devon Magistrates Court in February last year where he also pleaded guilty to speeding and dangerous driving. He was ordered to pay £180 in costs, disqualified from driving for 18 months and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
Richard Kent-Woolsey, Force Operations Manager at Devon & Cornwall Police’s Road Safety Team, said: “This is a particularly shocking case due to the speeds involved and the fact the road was wet. At these speeds, any collision – whether it was caused by these individuals or not – would likely have resulted in very serious injuries or even death.
“We know speed is one of the major contributory factors in serious and fatal collisions.
“Travelling too fast not only gives you less time to react, but also significantly increases the risk of you sustaining serious or fatal injuries in the event of a collision.
“Devon and Cornwall Police are passionate about achieving Vision Zero South West’s ambition to halve all serious and fatal collisions in the region by 2030.
“We have invested heavily in speed detection so motorists all over the region can expect to see more cameras and enforcement out on our roads.”
