A ROAD safety charity has questioned why a police officer caught doing 100mph on the A14 hasn't been banned from driving.

Naomi Gornall

A ROAD safety charity has questioned why a police officer caught doing 100mph on the A14 hasn't been banned from driving.

Pc Matthew Stott, 40, of Kingfisher Way, Stowmarket, is to face an internal investigation by Suffolk Police after pleading guilty to driving his Vauxhall Vectra 30mph over the speed limit on the A14 at Bucklesham at 9am on May 6.

South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court heard this week that Stott, who has been an officer with the Suffolk Constabulary for 20 years, did not want to be late for work due to some stress-related problems he was facing at the time.

Magistrates gave him six points on his driver's licence, as it was a first offence, and fined him �320, plus costs of �85 and �15 as a victim surcharge.

The charity, Brake, has called the case “shocking” and “unacceptable” and stated that someone in Stott's position should have known better.

A spokeswoman said: “One of the things which is most shocking about this is that someone who works for an enforcement agency and should be providing a good example to the rest of us, has broken the law by such a large margin and he has tried to use his job as an excuse.

“Clearly that is unacceptable and he is not providing any sort of role model for the general public.

“Speeding, whether it is over the limit or inappropriate for the conditions, is a huge contributing factor in crashes, which cause deaths or injuries on our roads. Police officers should perhaps know more than anyone the horrific consequences this has.”

Road safety group Safe Speed also said the case “defied belief” and claim that in most cases those caught driving at 100mph are banned from the roads.

The group's co-founder, Claire Armstrong, said: “There is always a danger that when police are not banned for offences that others are very likely to be, it puts out a double standard that encourages the hypocritical belief that there is one rule for them and one rule for everyone else.

“When other people are caught driving at 100mph they are usually banned, or sometimes even worse.”

Stott, a father of three, works in the Bury St Edmunds neighbourhood response team, which deals with any issues that crop up in the area, including 999 calls

It was said in court that he is still serving with the force at the moment. Suffolk Police said there will be an internal investigation carried out.