Officer caught speeding at 100mph 'was late' for PSNI football match

By The Newsroom
Published 11th Jul 2023, 20:29 BST
Updated 11th Jul 2023, 20:30 BST
The officer was clocked at 100mph on a motorway with a speed limit of 70mphThe officer was clocked at 100mph on a motorway with a speed limit of 70mph
The officer was clocked at 100mph on a motorway with a speed limit of 70mph
​​An off-duty police officer caught driving at 100mph was “late” ahead of playing a football match for the PSNI team, a court has heard.

Billy Cassells, 21, from Conlig in Co Down, admitted a charge of exceeding a 70mph speed limit on Saturday March 25.

He appeared at Antrim Magistrates' Court, sitting in Ballymena, and it was heard he had been on his way to play Moyola Park.

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The Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL) website shows the defendant played in the Premier Intermediate League game in which the PSNI lost 5-0 away to Moyola.

A prosecutor said police were monitoring the speed of traffic on the M22 motorway around 1.15pm when a Mercedes was detected doing 100mph.

The court heard the defendant had no previous convictions and no penalty points on his driving licence.

A defence lawyer said his client is a police officer and plays for the PSNI football team.

He was “late” for the match against Moyola Park.

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The lawyer said the defendant “had just been accepted for a prestige course as an advanced driver in the PSNI” and was “one of the few applicants” to get on it.

The lawyer added there were only “four to five” such advanced police drivers in Belfast.

On March 25, the lawyer said there was “no issue of unsafe driving” on the motorway and it was a “bright lunch time”.

He said the defendant had "learned a salutary lesson".

The lawyer said if the defendant received nine points or a driving ban he would not to be allowed to take part in the driving course.

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Deputy District Judge Laura Ievers said the statement from the officer who stopped the defendant noted he had been been “instantly regretful and remorseful”.

She said the speed was “serious” because “obviously the speed limits are there for good reason”.

The judge said such speeds would very often lead to an immediate driving ban but with the defendant's “career path” she was not going to disqualify him.

The judge added: “Please learn from this lesson because you are obviously responsible for yourself and all other road users and in opting for your particular career it is obviously very important that you have safety at the forefront of your mind.”

The defendant was given six penalty points and a £250 fine.