A 62-year-old Pembrokeshire man who drove 75mph on a 60-limit road shouldn’t have been called to court, magistrates said.

Gareth Keating, of Rhoshill, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on September 2 where he pleaded guilty to speeding while driving a Ford Transit van on the A48 dual carriageway near Natycaws junction, Carmarthenshire, on December 1, 2023.

The speed recorded by laser was 75mph, whereas 60mph would have been the legal limit for that class of vehicle.

Keating’s driving record was endorsed and he has been disqualified from holding or obtaining a driving licence for six months. The guilty plea was taken into account when the sentence was imposed, but the disqualification was obligatory owing to repeat offending.

Fining Keating £76 and ordering him to pay a surcharge of £30 to fund victim services, the balance to be paid by September 30, nevertheless the magistrates made no order for court costs.

The reason given for this is that the ‘defendant shouldn’t have been called to court as he was happy to be disqualified out of court’ - because of this the bench felt that he had lost a day’s earnings needlessly and costs would have been disproportionate.