Speeder ‘in a hurry’ asked police ‘Will this take long?’

A man stopped for speeding in his BMW asked detectives: “Will this take long? I’m in a hurry to get to Dundee.”

Lee Godfrey had caught the attention of CID officers after pulling out to overtake a queue of traffic on the outskirts of Arbroath but he blew his chances of a roadside fixed penalty with his attitude to being pulled over, Forfar Sheriff Court heard.

Godfrey, of Bradbury Street, Dundee, pleaded guilty to driving carelessly on the A92 Montrose to Arbroath road near Marywell on May 15, at excessive speed and into the face of oncoming traffic, causing another driver to take evasive action.

The 32-year-old was originally charged with dangerous driving but had a plea to an amended charge accepted by the Crown.

Defence solicitor Nick Markowski said Godfrey had now got rid of his powerful three-litre BMW and replaced it with a one-litre Fiat 500.

“He is now driving the small Fiat so I don’t think there will be any repetition of this behaviour,” he said.

Sheriff Pino Di Emidio fined Godfrey £500 and placed seven penalty points on his licence.