Notts moped rider fled police to visit his poorly grandparents

Police flagged down Ashley Duke because he was riding unsteadily and his headlight was hanging on by tape, at 4pm, on August 18, last year, said prosecutor Victoria Rose.

But instead of stopping he drove off through a pedestrian access zone and into Carlton Hill Tesco’s car park, in Nottingham.

He removed his helmet and put it on the handlebars, before mounting the pavement. Duke nearly lost control of the moped on Coningswath Road, and sparks flew when he accelerated over speed bumps. He was detained in the car park of Carlton Forum Leisure Centre.

On Friday, Nottingham Crown Court heard Duke received a 16 month prison sentence, which was suspended for two years, for two counts of affray, in January 2019.

He assaulted a man just outside the city centre, at 1am on August 26, 2017, and was involved in a group attack, when one man wielded an axe and another a baseball bat, on November 17, 2017.

Ms Rose said he has ten previous convictions for 17 offences, including violence and theft, and was jailed for robbery in 2014.

Bianca Brasoveanu, mitigating, admitted the standard of his driving was “appalling,” but said he was going to visit his grandparents who were in hospital, having missed the funeral of another grandparent.

She said his speed was not excessive, there were no consequences for other road users, he was carrying no passengers, and he was not under the influence of any substances

at the time.

She said he suffers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and learning disabilities, and had a very difficult family background and upbringing.

Duke, 24, of Pine View, Radford, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, and driving without a licence of insurance, on April 7, 2020.

Judge Julie Warburton ruled it would be unjust to activate the sentence, but warned him this was a "last chance saloon."

She sentenced him to eight months, suspended for 18 months, with 15 rehabilitation days and 150 hours of unpaid work.

He was banned for 18 months and must take the extended re-test.