Swift by name: Pensioner banned for doing 147mph on A64

Owen Swift, 68, from York, was caught by North Yorkshire Police officers driving at 147mph in a five-litre V8 Jaguar XKR on the A64 dual carriageway near Malton.

He was convicted yesterday of speeding after magistrates heard Swift had told officers he simply expected a ticking off when he was stopped at 9pm on June 11 last year while driving back from a round of golf in Scarborough.

Swift, a manufacturing firm director who already had six points on his licence, told officers: “You couldn’t have got me, I was on the other side of the road and the speed barrier. This is going to crease me. You could have given me a b******ing. At my age, it’s my livelihood.”

Swift has since traded in the XKR, but arrived at Scarborough Magistrates Court in a £35,000 Jaguar for a one-day trial after pleading not guilty to the offence.

He vehemently denied he was even driving on the road police caught him on, claiming officers were “making up lies”. Swift told the court: “It (the Jaguar XKR) wasn’t bought for speed, it was bought for comfort.”

But he was convicted of speeding, and given six penalty points – meaning he has been disqualified from driving for nine months under the totting-up system.

He was also given a £700 fine and ordered to pay £650 in costs.

After the case, Traffic Sergeant John Clayton, who captured the offence on a laser speed gun, admitted it was the worst case of speeding he had witnessed in a 26-year career.

He added: “I have seen first-hand the destruction caused by excessive speed.

“Swift should consider himself extremely lucky to be here to face the court and walk away with just a ban and a fine.”