Porsche driver was caught at 162mph – more than twice speed limit

A reckless driver was clocked at 162mph in his Porsche – thought to be one of the highest speeds ever recorded by police. Christopher Debono, 62, was filmed hurtling along the A43 bypass in Corby, Northamptonshire, on May 19.

Officers from Northamptonshire Police’s Safer Roads Team were monitoring rush-hour traffic when Debono hared past their mobile enforcement van at 6.15pm. He was clocked at a heart-stopping 162mph – more than twice the legal speed limit.

Police recorded his black Porsche thundering along the busy dual-carriageway. Debono, of Windingbrook Lane, Northampton, admitted driving at a speed in excess of 70mph at Wellingborough Magistrates’ Court on September 8. He was banned from driving for six months, fined £1,000 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £400 plus £90 costs.

Speaking afterwards, Safer Roads Team manager Matthew O’Connell said: “The A43 Corby bypass is subject to the national speed limit of 70mph, but this driver was detected at well over twice that. Excess speed is one of the fatal five road risks, vastly increasing the chances of a serious collision, and the consequences of a crash at over 160mph do not bear thinking about.

“Our mobile enforcement vans are deployed across Northamptonshire to detect motoring offences at sites where we have data to show there is an increased risk to road users, and I’m glad our team have been able to bring to justice a driver who on that day cannot have had a thought to his own, or anyone else’s, safety. Everyone has a right to get home unharmed and we are committed to improving road safety across our county by taking action against irresponsible drivers, as this case shows.”

Last year 40 people were killed in road crashes in Northamptonshire – one of the highest death tolls in recent years.