A biker has narrowly avoided prison after travelling at speeds of 120mph during a police chase on the A350 near Chippenham.
20-year-old Ellis Filkins was sentenced at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on 29 October – having admitted charges of dangerous driving and using a vehicle without insurance.
The incident happened on the evening of Sunday 7 July, when the defendant was seen riding an Aprilia motorcycle with no number plate on the A350.
He failed to stop for a marked roads policing vehicle and led officers on a high-speed pursuit. During the chase, he reached more than 120mph before disappearing from view.
Police later identified him as the rider and arrested him the following day. His motorbike was seized as part of the investigation.
Filkins, of Wick Lane, Lacock, admitted to police in interview that he was the rider and had made off from officers.
At court, he was handed a six month prison sentence suspended for 12 months. He was also banned from driving for 12 months.
PC Tom Richardson, from the Roads Policing Unit, said: “This was some of the most dangerous riding I have ever seen – Filkins was prepared to put himself and other road users at great risk of harm by travelling at more than three times the speed limit.
“When he became lost to sight, the pursuit had to be abandoned but fortunately, we were able to locate him the following day and make the arrest.
“This type of behaviour is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated on our county’s roads.”
