Chorley biker who sparked two dangerous police pursuits in two days is jailed

Mark Donnelly, 25, of Clough Acre, Chorley, pulled the manoeuvre on his uninsured 125cc Yamaha bike while pedestrians were in the area, Preston Crown Court heard.

Prosecuting, Bob Elias said the motorcyclist, who also had no MOT, had embarked on two police pursuits in a two day period on June 20 and 21, 2020.

He said in the first incident, at 5.55pm, a PC began following him on Market Street, Adlington, after conducting a check on his bike and seeing it was registered in Ashton-under-Lyne, and had no MOT or insurance.

He added: " On Westhoughton Road it overtook a vehicle travelling at 40 in a 40mph zone, and accelerated away at speeds of up to 60mph.

"The officer decided to intervene and put on his blues and twos to stop the bike.

"Once that happened the biker looked over his shoulder and accelerated, overtaking another vehicle, and there was a short pursuit.

When the bike sped through a red light, the officer decided it wasn't safe for him to do the same so he abandoned the pursuit."

The following day the officer's police colleague saw the same bike and deployed a stinger device, which popped his tyre.

Donnelly still failed to stop, and was pursued onto Myles Standish Way and Duxbury Manor, before spinning around to avoid traffic and travelling back the same way.

Mr Elias added: " The control of a motorcyclist if a tyre is flat is obviously less."

He described how Donnelly took to a roundabout at 45mph before mounting a pavement at 30mph while pedestrians were around.

The bungling biker then turned down a pedestrian only footpath and escaped, triggering a search with a police dog and drone, but the bike was traced to his address

In a police interview he said he couldn't afford to insure the bike.

Donnelly admitted driving without due care and attention, and driving with no insurance or licence.

Beverley Hackett, defending, said: "This was an appalling piece of driving on both occasions and there are no excuses."

She added he had become "lost" after his mum died and started behaving in a very different way.

Describing him as a "terrifying driver", Judge Beverly Lunt ordered the bike to be confiscated and imposed a 15 month ban and extended retest.

She said: " You owned this 125cc motorbike which you knew you were not allowed to drive - you had no licence.

"You decided what you wanted to do was more important than the law and so you went out and you drove it

"I'm quite satisfied you didn't care who you put at risk

"Anyone with a brain would make sure they never went out on that motorbike again but the very next day you did it again.

"You didn't care who you endangered to do it, There's no question you created a real risk to pedestrians and other road users that second day."

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