A DETECTIVE Sergeant with Cambridgeshire police was spared from a driving ban after he pleaded guilty to driving a Ford Focus at 101 miles an hour along the A1M at Woolley. Instead Colin McKeever was given six points on his licence and ordered to pay £400

A DETECTIVE Sergeant with Cambridgeshire police was spared from a driving ban after he pleaded guilty to driving a Ford Focus at 101 miles an hour along the A1M at Woolley.

Instead Colin McKeever was given six points on his licence and ordered to pay £400 after being caught speeding on September 1.

The bench heard on Monday (December 1) that McKeever, 43, who lives in Peterborough, works for intelligence and is always on call.

His solicitor said he would not be able to do his job if he lost his licence.

Rebecca Keogh, defending, told the court that McKeever already had three points on his licence but that speeding was out of character for him after driving for 25 years.

Ms Keogh said that McKeever, an advanced driver, worked all over Britain, for example, flying to Belfast, where he would have to hire a car on arrival.

She said: "He works strange hours and he travels all over the country. Without a driving licence his work would be extremely difficult if not impossible. He does not work a regular shift pattern. Except when he is on leave, he is almost always on call.

"Speeding is out of character for him. If he lost his licence, it would not only cause him significant difficulty but also his colleagues and that would have an affect on us all."

She added that McKeever lived apart from his wife and needed to travel to see his two teenage daughters and he also ran a girls' football team.

She said he had exceptional background personal circumstances.

McKeever was fined £350 and ordered to pay £35 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

nA driving ban is discretionary for motorists caught speeding at 101mph, and the punishment will depend on the defendant's circumstances.