Gone (over the handlebars) in three seconds.
A bungling scooter thief came away with nothing more than a sore head when he flipped over the handlebars after leading officers on one of the world’s shortest police chases.
Connor Harrison’s getaway lasted all of three seconds before he clattered into a wall in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, face-first on August 23 last year.
The 25-year-old, of Dunston, admitted dangerous driving and driving without licence or insurance at Newcastle Crown Court.
His lawyer Rachel Hedworth said: ‘It’s in no way any excuse for his behaviour but he suffered a fractured eye socket, blindness in one eye for a period and was unconscious for quite a long period.’
The court heard it was just after 7pm when police saw Harrison riding the motor scooter with no helmet on.
He then tried to speed off ‘completely out of control’ when one of the officers tried to grab him.
After mounting the pavement, Harrison narrowly avoided ploughing into a pedestrian before going over the handlebars and knocking himself out against the wall.
Jolyon Perks, prosecuting, said: ‘It was a deliberate decision to ignore the rules of the road and disregard the risk of danger to others. It was obviously a highly dangerous maneouvre.’
The crash caused £500 worth of damage to the scooter, which had been stolen from a Tesco in Sunderland.
Judge Amanda Rippon deferred sentence for four months on the condition he stays out of trouble and tries to find work.
She told Harrison he was ‘driving around like an idiot on a motor scooter’.
The judge added: ‘Although it was very short-lived it was extremely dangerous. He is extremely lucky he didn’t hurt someone else. He hurt himself quite badly.
‘Riding a vehicle is a privilege, not a right. He put lives at risk, including a police officer’s and it’s unacceptable.’
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