I mentioned the 2011 Darwin Awards earlier this year. But we have a new contender in the form of Robert Mark Owens , a surprisingly 48-year old motorcyclist.
He filmed himself driving at up to 150mph on his Kawasaki 600cc bike. He was also filmed doing wheelies, riding on footpaths, and weaving through traffic – presumably at speed.
Owens’ place in the Darwin Awards 2011 nominations list was secured when he then uploaded the footage to YouTube.
Someone saw it and reported him anonymously to the police. The story doesn’t say precisely how they identified him, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he put his stupid face on the video in his quest for glory.
Owens was given 10 points, disqualified for 5 years, ordered to take an extended test, do 150 hours of unpaid work, had his bike (£3,000) and camera (£150) confiscated, and given a 51-week prison sentence (suspended for two years). In other words, he had the book thrown at him. So when I called him a “motorcyclist” earlier, I should perhaps have said “ex-motorcyclist”.
Serves the idiot right, anyway. The courts should be this harsh on anyone who breaks the law anything like this – and someone stupid enough to broadcast their stupidity shouldn’t be allowed to drive again. Ever.
The trouble is, the courts aren’t this harsh most of the time.