THE family of a Blackburn soldier caught driving at more than 140mph has slammed the police for their handling of the case.

They questioned why an officer had followed Craftsman Kameron Edmondson driving at 78mph, and pursued him in an unmarked car up to speeds of 143.7mph.

His father Wayne said his son should have been pulled over straight away. And he said his son only drove so quickly as he felt scared at being followed.

Edmondson, who drives specialist army lorries on the front line, was spared a ban by the judge so he could train for his life-saving role in Afghanistan.

Dad Wayne said: “It was the middle of the night and there was a high powered Subaru Impreza following at very high speed.

“His training kicked in and he reacted insti-nctively. The police should have pulled him over straight away if they thought he was speeding. Why follow him and scare the life out of him until he reached such a high speed?

“They could have stopped him at 78mph but they didn’t. The police followed him at 105 mph and they still didn’t stop him. He sped up to 120mph then 132mph and again they didn’t stop him.”

The incident happened on the M40 and the hearing held at Warwick Crown Court. The court was told Edmondson, a soldier with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, had even slowed at one point in a bid to let the car past but it did not.

Edmondson, 20, denied dangerous driving but he pleaded guilty to an alternative charge of speeding at 143.7mph.

Court prosecutor Iain Willis said his evidence that he believed he was being pursued was accepted by the court and charges were down-graded.

Police were unavailable for comment.