Shropshire biker banned after posting speeding videos online

A man who posted videos of himself on social media riding a motorbike at nearly 100mph has been caught, banned from driving and fined.

Benjamin Males, 22, of Holgate Drive, Shrewsbury, shared the videos of his bike rides in the county on Instagram, where – complete with wheelies and risky overtaking – they were discovered by West Mercia Police after the content went viral.

Males had tried to hide his identity – and tagged the location as Mexico – but local landmarks and the British countryside were clearly recognisable and police were able to identify him. He was charged with five counts of dangerous driving.

He admitted all charges at Telford Magistrates’ Court last month and was disqualified from driving for 18 months and ordered to take an extended test at the end of the period.

He was also told to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work, given a rehabilitation order, and fined £199.

The footage, filmed in the Shrewsbury and Wem areas and posted online in April, came to the attention of officers after it gained more than a million views.

After the court hearing, PC Jack Jackson, said: “The footage in this case, uploaded by Males himself to Instagram, showed an appalling disregard for road safety.”

He said the conviction should serve as “a stark warning” that social media is not a shield from prosecution, adding police had a range of means to identify people online.

PC Jackson said: “Dangerous riding doesn’t just put the rider at risk, it endangers innocent road users and influences others to copy reckless behaviour.”