John Rhodes death: Bikers who covered up 140mph fatal crash jailed

Martin Sweeney (left) and Jamie Wilding tried to cover up evidence after the crash

Two motorcyclists who were speeding at 140mph as if they were "on a racetrack" when a friend and fellow biker was killed have been jailed.

John Rhodes, 42, died after being thrown from his bike in October 2018 in Cockerham, Lancashire.

He had been riding with Martin Sweeney, 46, and Jamie Wilding, 40, "at grossly excessive speeds", police said.

Both men pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and perverting the course of justice and were sentenced on Monday.

Mr Rhodes, from Fleetwood, died in hospital a day after he suffered "catastrophic injuries" when he lost control of his motorcycle and hit a grass verge on Lancaster Road.

Preston Crown Court heard how Sweeney and Wilding tampered with evidence and initially provided false accounts of the crash.

Wilding left the scene before police arrived and Sweeney suggested nobody else was involved.

'Travelling like a jet'

But officers found footage on Wilding's mobile phone of the collision, which had been captured from a camera attached to Sweeney's bike.

Wilding had taken the footage home and uploaded it, police said.

It showed Sweeney's bike reaching speeds of 140mph (225km/h) as he rode behind Wilding on a 60mph road.

Mr Rhodes then attempted to overtake Sweeney, losing control of his motorbike on the approach to a right hand bend and crashing into a grass verge before coming to stop in a field.

"Witnesses describe the speed as like on a racetrack or travelling like a jet," Sgt Steve Hardman said.

"Despite their friend being critically injured in the field, witness accounts revealed both men seemed intent on removing evidence due to their grossly excessive speeds at the time of the collision.

"The trial judge described their actions as appalling," he added.

Sweeney, of Eversleigh Avenue in Thornton, was jailed for two years and six months while Wilding, of Goldsboro Avenue in Blackpool, was jailed for two years and three months.

Both men were disqualified from driving for more than four years and will be required to take an extended re-test.