A 33-year-old motorcyclist has been sentenced for accelerating to 140mph on a busy Kent road.

Stephen Palmer was caught by a police speed gun as he rode his Suzuki bike up the A20 Sidcup bypass towards London. The legal limit on the dual carriageway is 50mph.

Palmer, of Downderry Road, Bromley, committed the offence on a September evening in 2006 but he only pleaded guilty to speeding on Tuesday, at Bexley Magistrates’ Court.

The magistrates banned him from driving for four months and fined him £400.

His lawyer, Phillip Lucas, said he had been shocked when traffic officers pulled him over and told him how fast he had been driving.

Mr Lucas said Palmer had not had much experience on high powered motorbikes and had since sold the bike.

He said: "He was driving for a very short period of time at that speed."

Palmer had been due to stand trial on two previous occasions but the case had to be adjourned because prosecutors were not able to provide the defence with a copy of CCTV footage showing Palmer careering up the road.

After the defence finally saw the video footage, Palmer changed his plea.

The court heard that Palmer, a self employed ceiling fitter, is a carer for his disabled mother with whom he lives.

Chair of the bench, Mrs Rusholme, said: "This is an extremely high speed at a busy time on a busy road."

The court also granted the defence team a wasted cost order of £2,192.91 over prosecutors’ delay in disclosing the video tape.