Newly qualified driver caught speeding at 153mph

A newly qualified driver caught speeding at more than 150mph has received a suspended jail sentence.

Daniel Groome passed his driving test three weeks before Dorset Police found him speeding along the A338 dual carriageway near Ringwood in June 2024.

A Dorset Police officer reached speeds of 153mph to catch the 23-year-old, of Winston Road, Bournemouth, who had a front-seat passenger in his BMW 325i coupe.

He was charged with dangerous driving and sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court.

A police statement explained an officer had been monitoring traffic at the Ashley Heath roundabout when he spotted the BMW driving at an "inappropriate speed while navigating a left-hand bend" at around 23:40 GMT.

The road policing officer then "proactively responded in two seconds".

They kept a safe distance, but matched the speed of Groome's BMW, recording a reading of 153mph on the police vehicle's calibrated speedometer.

As Groome approached a 50mph speed limit at Blackwater, the force said he was travelling at almost double the speed limit.

"The distance between Ashley Heath and Blackwater is 5.2m (8.3km), which takes around five minutes to travel at a safe speed", the force explained.

Groome travelled between the two locations in half that time and was subsequently charged.

'Not acceptable'

During a court hearing on 21 February, he received a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

He was also disqualified from driving for two years and six months, given a four-month curfew and instructed to take an extended re-test.

PC Kier Dagnall said: "We were very quickly able to respond and stop this vehicle from being involved in a collision and the driver potentially injuring themselves, their front-seat passenger or another road user.

"This driver had only passed his driving test three weeks beforehand and was travelling at incredibly dangerous speeds with someone else in his vehicle.

"We know some young, newly qualified drivers can be drawn into travelling at dangerous speeds and testing their capabilities, but this is not acceptable."