Neil Cannie ‘put his foot down’ on an unlit section of the A78 as he raced towards Wemyss Bay.

Greenock Sheriff Court, pictured, heard how police on a late night speed check patrol clocked Cannie at 86mph in the 60mph zone.

Prosecutor Lindy Scaife said: “The accused passed the officers and his speed did not deteriorate.” It was stated in court that Cannie, 52, had previously been disqualified from driving on two occasions in the 1990s.

He was originally charged with dangerous driving before the Crown accepted his guilty plea to the lesser charge of operating his Skoda Octavia without due care and attention.

Defence lawyer Gordon Nicol said: “Mr Cannie was heading to Wemyss Bay station to pick up a lady who was waiting on her own.

“He put his foot down so as not to keep her waiting for too long. The vehicle did not cause the police any other concern, apart from its speed. Disqualification would have an adverse effect on his employment.” The court heard previously that Cannie committed the speeding offence after 10pm on 23 August last year. Road conditions were dry and there were no other vehicles nearby.

Sheriff Thomas Ward fined Cannie £150 and docked his licence by four penalty points.