The young man charged in connection with an extreme speeding video that went viral on YouTube appeared Tuesday in Victoria Provincial Court.
Randy George Scott, a man with a long history of driving infractions and license suspensions, is accused of burning down a busy Vancouver Island highway at speeds of almost 300 kilometres per hour on his motorcycle.
He’s charged with one count of dangerous driving.
Scott has bragged about driving at breakneck speeds on social media before but denies starring in the shocking footage, which contains few clues about who’s steering the bike.
Prosecutor Stephen Fudge said the Crown has ample evidence to convict Scott, but defence attorney Michael Mulligan spent part of Tuesday trying to poke holes in the police investigation.
“The lead investigator indicated he made no notes,” Mulligan told reporters. “[And] there were a number of leads which the police were informed of which they elected not to pursue.”
One tip came from a Cactus Club restaurant in Victoria, where a man allegedly wrote a note confessing to the crime. Police did not bother checking it out.
“Was it something that police should have followed up on? Perhaps, but the physical description was different and they had Mr. Scott in their sights,” Fudge said.
A suspect Yamaha motorcycle registered in Scott’s mother’s name was seized from a home in Esquimalt in April 2012. It has since been claimed by B.C.’s Civil Forfeiture Office.
Scott’s mother was also served with $1,449 in traffic violation tickets.
With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Ed Watson
