A driver raced along the M4 motorway tailgating other motorists at high speeds and "bullying " them out of the way while his son and pregnant partner were in the car.
Michael Smith’s dangerous behaviour continued for around 11 miles as he reached speeds of 120mph - but unbeknown to him, he was being closely watched by a police officer in an unmarked car. The officer finally ended the driving as the defendant raced through the 50mph stretch of the road through Port Talbot at 80mph.
A judge told Smith he had put at risk not only his own safety but that of his pregnant partner and young son, and the safety of the other road users he encountered.
Hannah George, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court that the incident happened in the early evening of December 28 last year when a South Wales Police roads policing officer travelling on the M4 near Bridgend saw a BMW travelling westward at a "significant" speed. The court heard the officer had, in fact, been tailing another vehicle but such was the speed the BMW was travelling he decided to follow it instead.
The prosecutor said as the officer followed Smith the defendant's speed "rarely dropped below 100mph" and hit a high of 120mph. The defendant was seen driving "exceptionally close" to cars in front of him at high speed, and "weaving" back and forth in the lane and "bullying" other drivers to get out of his way. The high-speed driving continued when Smith reached Port Talbot, and he raced along the 50mph zone through the town at 80mph. It was at this stage that the following officer activated the blue lights on his car and pulled the defendant over. The court heard that beside 33-year-old Smith in the BMW was his pregnant partner, and in the back of the car was his son. You can read about a banned 17-year-old driver led police on a high-speed chase through busy streets in his mother’s car here.
Michael David Smith, of Cross Inn, Ceredigion, had previously pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and to driving at a speed in excess of the motorway limit when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has no previous convictions but at the time of the December driving had eight points on his licence for speeding offences, all committed on motorways. You can read about a driver who was worried about losing his licence after being caught on camera using his mobile phone and so paid a shadowy "Mr Fix It" to make the problem go away here.
Andrew Evans, for Smith, said that "with the gift of hindsight" the defendant wishes he had driven in a different manner on the day in question. He said his client had already paid a high price for his offending with the loss of his well-paid job, and he said a pre-sentence report had assessed him as being at a low risk of re-offending and as being suitable for being managed in the community.
Recorder Carl Harrison told Smith he was guilty of a "disgraceful" piece of dangerous driving involving high-speeds, tailgating, and "bullying" other motorists. He said not only had the defendant put his own safety at risk but the safety of his pregnant partner and young son, and the safety of the other road users he had encountered that day.
The recorder said the offending crossed the custody threshold but he was "just about" persuaded by everything he had read about the defendant that it was a sentence that he could properly suspended. With a one-third discount for his guilty pleas Smith was sentenced to six months in prison suspended for two years, and was ordered to complete 120 hours of unpaid work and a rehabilitation course. He was banned from driving for three years, and must pass an extended test before he can get his licence back. Smith must pay £425 in prosecution costs.
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