VIDEO: 142mph motorcyclist jailed

A MOTORCYCLING "menace" who reached speeds of up to 142 mph on a busy Devon road on his ramshackle bike has been jailed for 10 months.

Michael Robillard, 23, had no insurance, only a provisional licence and his Suzuki had parts held together with a bootlace, spare bolts and threads, Exeter Crown Court heard.

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Police video of speeding motorcyclist Michael Robillard

Scenes from a high-speed police chase after his bike was spotted in Teignbridge were shown to the court.

Recorder Martin Meeke QC said Robillard and a friend on another bike had reached speeds of around 90mph on a slip road as they passed Highways Agency staff who were waving at them in horror.

He said: "I have seen cases where Highways Agency staff have been killed by people driving dangerously and I am particularly conscious of the danger you posed to them."

Robillard was banned from driving for two years. He admitted driving dangerously, without insurance or MOT, and otherwise in accordance with his licence.

Prosecutor Ann Hampshire said the defendant, and another motorcyclist were spotted by officers in a marked police car parked by the A380 at Ideford near Newton Abbot around 3.40pm on September 8.

When the bike was later examined, there were bubbles on the tyres from the rubber heating up during the chase, a bootlace and mismatched bolts and threads held parts of the bike together, the seat was wobbly and other parts had cracked.

The court heard that the wheels could have locked, the engine oil had become dangerously low and the defendant had risked his hands becoming trapped in the faulty steering parts.