144mph speeding A19 drivers given suspended jail terms Published duration 28 January 2014

media caption Police said the two men were closely following each other at high speed on the A19

Two drivers caught speeding at 144mph (232km/h) on the A19 in North Yorkshire have been given suspended jail terms.

Daniel Scott Richardson, 21, from Batley, and James Burrows, 26, of Methley in Leeds, had pleaded guilty to dangerous driving.

The police camera operator was said to be "utterly astounded" when he captured the men travelling at the speed in their respective cars.

The pair were given four-month jail terms, suspended for 18 months.

Error 'catastrophic'

Dave Brown, North Yorkshire Police's mobile safety camera manager, said: "The evidence captured by the safety camera shows both vehicles travelling in close proximity at extremely high speed.

"Any error, no matter how minor, could have been catastrophic for the two drivers, their passengers and other road users.

"The safety camera operator at the time was utterly astounded by the speed of the vehicles."

The men were caught on the southbound carriageway of the A19, near Crathorne, on 30 November.

Magistrates in Northallerton also banned both men from driving for three years and ordered them to each complete 300 hours of unpaid work.