A driver with the middle name Quick has been caught speeding at 149mph on the A90.
Andrew Quick Ritchie claimed he was doing the dangerously high speed – an astonishing 89mph above the limit – because he was running late for work.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard that traffic officers attempted to give chase along the A90 near Ellon but had to abandon the pursuit of Ritchie’s black BMW due to safety concerns.
The 32-year-old, who was working night shifts at the time, was clocked as officers were carrying out speed checks at around 9.24pm on April 20 2020.
Fiscal depute Andrew McMann told the court: “As the accused drove by he was seen doing 96mph in a 60mph speed limit zone.
“Officers then followed the accused and were required to travel at speeds in excess of 140mph, but they did not make any gains on the accused’s vehicle.
“Due to the extreme speeds officers did not activate their emergency lights or procedures due to concerns they only make the accused drive faster.”
After clocking Ritchie’s car at a top speed of 149mph, police abandoned the pursuit.
While Ritchie was later traced, cautioned and charged, he stated: “It wisnae me.”
Ritchie, who now works as a landscape gardener, pleaded guilty to one charge of driving dangerously at excessive speed and overtaking other road users when it was unsafe to do so.
Accused realises how ‘foolish’ he has been
Defence solicitor Leonard Birkenshaw told the court that police did eventually manage to catch up with his client in Ellon where Ritchie was “doing some night shift work at the time”.
He added: “This was about three years ago when he was working in a different job and he was running late for that.
“Mr Ritchie is well aware of the position he has put himself in today and he has come to realise over time how foolish he has been.
“It was fortunate nothing more serious happened – he accepts that.”
Sheriff Shelagh McCall told Ritchie, of Rectory Drive, Strichen, that she would impose a “substantial financial penalty” due to the “seriousness of the charge”.
She fined Ritchie £1,200 and disqualified him from driving for 18 months.
For all the latest court cases in Aberdeen as well as crime and breaking incidents, join our Facebook group.
