West Mercia PC Mark Milton cleared of charge after crashing into traffic island while chasing suspected stolen vehicle
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guardian.co.uk, Friday 5 April 2013 14.11 BST
PC Mark Milton managed to stop his vehicle safely after the crash in the Shropshire village of Cold Hatton, but it was left with a shredded tyre and broken suspension. Photograph: David Jones/PA
A police officer previously convicted of dangerous driving after being recorded doing 159mph on a motorway has been cleared of another charge of the same offence over an incident in which he crashed his patrol car while travelling at nearly 100mph in a 40mph zone.
PC Mark Milton, 46, of West Mercia police, crashed into a traffic island on the A442 in Cold Hatton near Shrewsbury in Shropshire while driving at 92mph as he chased what he believed was a stolen vehicle. At one point in the pursuit, Worcester crown court heard, data recorders in the police car showed Milton had reached 108mph.
Milton managed to stop the BMW vehicle safely further along the road after the incident in October 2011, but the car was left with a shredded tyre and broken suspension.
Prosecutors said Milton had used "grossly excessive" speed amounting to dangerous driving, but he was unanimously cleared by a jury.
In 2006 Milton was convicted of dangerous driving after onboard cameras inside his unmarked patrol car recorded him travelling at 159mph on the M54 at Shropshire three years earlier. The officer, an advanced police driver for 18 years, said he had been "honing his skills".
That trial heard that Milton, who was not using blue lights or a siren, reached 131mph on the 60mph-limit A5 and drove at up to 91mph in built-up 30mph areas.
Milton successfully challenged the conviction in the high court in 2007 in a landmark case which means courts must take account of a driver's "special skill" when prosecuting such cases. The case was returned to a district judge who upheld the original conviction but gave Milton an absolute discharge.
Giving evidence in his latest trial last week, Milton said he had not seen the island as there had been no markings to show it up. He insisted that he had never lost control of his vehicle.
A West Mercia police spokesman said: "It was right and proper that the evidence collated led to a criminal trial so the case could be tested before a jury. West Mercia police will now consider misconduct proceedings in respect of PC Milton's alleged driving behaviour and this may lead to disciplinary action."
