Biker banned for posting speeding videos online

A man who posted videos of himself on social media riding a motorbike at nearly 100mph has been caught, banned from driving and fined.

Benjamin Males, 22, of Holgate Drive, Shrewsbury, shared the videos of his bike rides in the town and surrounding countryside on Instagram.

West Mercia Police spotted the footage, complete with wheelies and risky overtaking, after the content went viral.

Males admitted all charges at Telford Magistrates' Court and was disqualified from driving for 18 months and ordered to take an extended test at the end of the period.

He was also told to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work, given a rehabilitation order, and fined £199 at last month's hearing.

Males had tried to hide his identity - and tagged the location as Mexico - but local landmarks and the British countryside were clearly recognisable and police were able to identify him. He was charged with five counts of dangerous driving.

The footage, filmed in the Shrewsbury and Wem areas and posted online in April, came to the attention of officers after it gained more than a million views.

Officers were able to identify him even though he disguised his identity, they said

After the court hearing, PC Jack Jackson said: "The footage in this case, uploaded by Males himself to Instagram, showed an appalling disregard for road safety."

He said the conviction should serve as "a stark warning" that social media is not a shield from prosecution, adding police had a range of means to identify people online.

PC Jackson said: "Dangerous riding doesn't just put the rider at risk, it endangers innocent road users and influences others to copy reckless behaviour."