A SPEEDING motorcyclist nearly hit a group of children while he was hurtling around streets on a stolen moped and being chased by the police, a court heard.
A vehicle driver had to do an emergency stop to avoid a crash during the hair-raising chase, the court was told.
Liam Major, 18, of Milton Road, Grimsby, admitted aggravated vehicle taking and having no insurance and licence on February 19.
Jeremy Lindsay, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court that police spotted Major riding a moped erratically at about 8.50pm.
The officers chased the bike, which swerved to miss a large parked van in Weelsby Road, Grimsby, before heading close to members of the public in the People's Park area.
It did not slow down and headed along Scartho Road, Sutcliffe Avenue, Second Avenue and Laceby Road before riding directly in to the path of a vehicle. The other driver had to do an emergency stop to avoid a collision.
Major swerved from left to right to stop the police car overtaking him. It did manage to pass him and one of the officers opened a door but Major undertook the vehicle to avoid being detained.
Major rode on the pavement and he was followed to Westward Ho and Littlefield Lane. The moped almost hit a group of children.
He accelerated away and headed to Bargate, where the moped stopped behind a car. Major leaned over the handle bars and seemed to be trying to hide.
Police approached and Major asked: "Are you an undercover copper?" The officer pulled him from the moped, which fell over.
He later admitted he knew the moped was stolen.
"This was a prolonged period of bad driving, with excessive speeds for the conditions," said Mr Lindsay.
Gordon Stables, mitigating, said the incident was not the worst of its kind and nobody was injured.
"It wasn't the first, and it won't be the last, time that a group of youths take turns on a motorbike," said Mr Stables. "He panicked."
Major was given 27 hours at a senior attendance centre and was banned from driving for a year. He must pay a Government-imposed £60 victims' surcharge.
