A Brighton man has been jailed after he pulled a wheelie as he fled from police on a motorbike.
Ryan Burtenshaw, 24, of Meadowview, Brighton, led police on a chase through busy Brighton traffic and, in court, he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving.
And he admitted having no insurance and only a provisional licence that did not entitle him to ride his 400cc Suzuki trail bike which, the court ruled, should be taken off him.
Matthew Kirk, prosecuting, said that officers from Sussex Police signalled for Burtenshaw to stop in busy mid-morning traffic on a rainy Saturday in January. But Burtenshaw failed to do so – another offence to which he pleaded guilty.
He was spotted pulling a wheelie going up Old Shoreham Road, Brighton, towards the Dyke Road traffic lights, Lewes Crown Court was told.
He turned left into Dyke Road, heading towards the Seven Dials. From Dyke Road, he turned into Clifton Terrace and turned right at the end, with the police still in pursuit.
Burtenshaw turned left out of Powis Road into Clifton Hill and escaped through roadworks by the Crescent pub which could not be passed by the police car.
Later, though, they tracked him down and he was arrested.
Judge Christine Laing said: “The police wanted to speak to him and he didn’t wish to take that opportunity so he accelerated away on a wet, busy street where there were pedestrians.”
She said that he had sped away to try to evade the police and it was more by luck than judgment that he had not injured someone or been killed himself.
Richard Reilly, defending, said: “It was a relatively short pursuit – but being in charge of a motor vehicle is a responsibility. They are killing machines in the wrong hands.”
“It was a colossally bad decision on his part.”
Judge Laing, who watched a video of the chase, said: “Why is he riding a motorcycle at all when he doesn’t have a licence and he doesn’t have insurance?
“He suffers from epilepsy and he was unlicensed. The courts take this very seriously.”
She told Burtenshaw: “You are 24. You may be immature but you are not a child. You bought a bike knowing that you have no licence.
Epileptic scroge with no licence, no insurance, road tax in fact illegal on all counts including health is banned from driving a car or motorbike for 20 months after refusing to stop for police and given a paltry five months for putting other road users and pedestrians at risk of injury or death. He should be jailed for minimum ten years until he matures and banned on health grounds from driving a vehicle of any sort for life. THAT WOULD BE JUSTICE NOT THE WOOLLY HEADED WOKE LIBERAL LUNACY THAT PASSES FOR JUSTICE TODAY.
Probably one of the scrotes who like to make life miserable for people in this area by making as much noise as they possible can whilst driving their trail bikes round and the round the streets.
At least that’s one of them off the road for a while…