A drug-driving scooter rider with a pillion passenger fled police during a chase through York in which he jumped red lights, mounted a pavement and went through pedestrian barriers outside the hospital.
Steven Nelson, 32, was hardly unnoticeable to the city’s law enforcers as he was riding a red scooter and his passenger was sporting an orange helmet.
An officer in an unmarked police car thought it was suspicious when Nelson rode past and looked at him intently in York city centre.
His suspicions were confirmed when the moped was ridden on the wrong side of the road down a one-way street, said prosecutor Kelly Clarke.
“The moped turned left onto Townend Street and was travelling the wrong way down a one-way street,” added Ms Clarke.
The police officer pulled in behind the moped on Monkgate and switched on the blue lights, but Nelson made off.
Nelson tried to shake off the officer by riding into the rear grounds of York Hospital through pedestrian barriers, where he was spotted by CCTV operators.
Drug tested
The chase continued onto Wetherby Road in Acomb where police laid a stinger and deflated the moped’s tyres, bringing it to a stop. Nelson and his passenger ran off, but were detained after a short foot chase.
Ms Clarke said that during the police chase, Nelson drove through red lights and onto a pavement, at one stage coming perilously close to a pedestrian.
Nelson, of Leeman Street, York, was drug-tested and found to be over the specified limit for cocaine. He was arrested and charged with dangerous driving, drug-driving, driving without a licence and insurance and driving while disqualified.
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He admitted the offences, which occurred late at night on September 15 last year, and appeared for sentence yesterday (Friday, 21 June1).
Ms Clarke said Nelson had five previous offences on his record including drug-driving three months before the scooter escapade around Monkgate and Acomb.
Defence barrister Jonathan Bottomley urged the court to suspend the inevitable prison sentence.
Recorder Aisha Wadoodi told Nelson that despite the seriousness of the offences she was prepared to “give you a chance” because he appeared to have “turned your life around”.
Nelson was given an eight-month suspended prison sentence with a 25-day rehabilitation programme. He received a three-year motoring ban.
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