Speeding officer to keep his job

Thomas said he thought his driving was safe

The chairman of Greater Manchester Police authority has said a senior officer should not lose his job after being caught speeding.

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Thomas apologised for an "error of judgement" after he did 104mph on the M6.

Thomas, who is in charge of traffic, was fined £450 and given six points on his licence.

But Stephen Murphy, the chairman of the police authority, said the matter had been dealt with by the courts.

Mr Murphy said: "He is not above the law and it has been proven that he is not.

"He has pleaded guilty and as far as we're concerned it doesn't affect the way he does his job."

'Sincere regret'

North Staffordshire magistrates heard Thomas had been caught on the M6 toll road near Birmingham.

After appearing in court, he said in a statement: "On the day in question, the driving and road conditions were good, and I was part of a group of around 15 cars all doing around the same speed.

"I considered that my manner of driving was safe. However, exceeding the speed limit by this amount is unacceptable and I sincerely regret my error of judgement.

"Excessive speed is a contributory factor in many road traffic incidents and it's everyone's duty to drive safely and at a reasonable speed at all times."

A spokesman for anti-speeding campaigners, Brake, said driving too fast increased the chances of being involved in a crash.

"Someone in Mr Thomas' position, who has seen at first hand the consequences of speeding, should know better," he said.