Cumbria police are aiming to “re-examine the evidence” after a judge demanded to know more about its response to an incident in which a young motorcyclist was caught on camera pulling wheelies and hitting 130mph on Lake District roads.
Aaron Luck, 21, travelled well above the speed limit and performed risky stunts on a high-powered Suzuki GSX-R600 machine while riding on minor roads and the A66 around Keswick in daylight hours on May 16 last year.
Luck filmed his reckless riding on a helmet-mounted GoPro device which was seized and analysed after he later crashed at Caldbeck Common.
He was frank with police and remorseful when interviewed, admitted a dangerous driving charge and was handed a suspended prison sentence with community requirements, plus a driving ban, at Carlisle Crown Court yesterday.
But Judge Paul Lawton observed “the miracle is that I am reading a pre-sentence report and not a pathology report”. And he told Luck, of Croft Place, Temple Sowerby he had been “riding around the lanes and roads of the Lake District as if you were in the Isle of Man TT races”.
However, the judge also expressed concern that the police investigation did not appear to fully scrutinise other vehicles which appeared to be travelling in convoy with Luck.
“This is like the Gumball Rally around the roads of the Lake District, putting others in danger,” said Judge Lawton. “I want a full written explanation as to why the investigation was not pursued properly.”
In response, a Cumbria Constabulary spokesman said today: “An investigation was commenced into the incident which involved the viewing of all of the footage covering the vehicles involved. Officers identified offences committed by Mr Luck and progressed these through the criminal justice process.
“The Constabulary takes the comments from the judge very seriously and will look to re-examine the evidence with a view to identifying any further offences that may have been committed and will progress them as appropriate.”
