Jail for motorcyclist who sped away from police

A man who sped away from police on an illegal off-road motorcycle has been jailed.

Adrian Johnson, aged 44, was riding without a number plate along Edwards Lane, Bestwood, when he was spotted by a police officer in a passing patrol car.

He was then seen undertaking cars in the distance as he made his way south towards Sherwood at around 2pm on the afternoon of Monday 15 January this year.

After stalling the bike at the Valley Road roundabout, he then restarted it and rode off at speed through residential streets.

In the minutes that followed Johnson, who has previous convictions for theft and burglary, rode the wrong way around a roundabout, passed through a red light, and narrowly avoided colliding with other cars.

His journey ended on Mansfield Road, where he mounted the pavement and attempted to weave his way through a set of bollards and down an alleyway.

As the bike stalled for a second time the officer ran towards him, dragged him to the floor and arrested him.

After other officers arrived to help detain him, Johnson, of Radford Road, Nottingham, then caused damage to a police car by repeatedly kicking a window from inside.

He later pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving without insurance, driving without a license, and criminal damage.

He also admitted to a theft at a supermarket in Mansfield Road on 8 December last year, and to three further shop thefts in Hucknall and Nottingham in November and December.

Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday (18 March) he was jailed for 29 months and disqualified from driving for 18 months.

Sergeant David Stafford, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

“This was a terrible display of riding that could easily have caused serious injury to another road user, a pedestrian, or to Johnson himself.

“By riding through residential streets in the way he did he showed absolutely no regard to anyone else.

“I am pleased he has now been jailed and hope this sentence serves as a warning to others about the potential consequences of this type of riding.”