A LEARNER scrambler bike rider has been banned from driving after weaving through traffic as he tried to outrun a high performance police bike on a 125cc machine.
He went through busy traffic at more than twice the 30 mph limit as he went across the bascule bridge and round the Matford roundabout.
He nearly hit a van as he headed off on a stretch of dual carriageway before doubling back and crashing on the roundabout near Exminster.
He only had a provisional licence and had no L plates on his bike, which had no MOT, Exeter Crown Court was told.
The short pursuit was captured on the police rider’s bodycam, which showed the officer getting off to help Almond after he crashed.
Almond, aged 19, of Mildmay Close, Exeter, admitted dangerous driving and was disqualified for a year with an extended retest, ordered to do 200 hours unpaid community work and sent on a 20 session Thinking Skills Programme.
Judge Peter Johnson told him: ‘It was a relatively busy road but it doesn’t seem that you caused too much inconvenience to other motorists, other than some extreme surprise or shock.
‘You were probably as much danger to yourself as to any member of the public who was on the road.’
The judge added that Almond’s pregnant girlfriend, who was in the public gallery, must have been horrified to see the bodycam footage.
Mr Herc Ashworth, prosecuting, said the police motorcyclist was on an unmarked high powered motorcycle when he saw Almond showing off to two friends by doing wheelies on the A376 at around 3.30 pm on Saturday July 30.
The officer overtook the group and signalled for them to pull over, but Almond took off at speeds of up to 70 mph and overtook and undertook cars during the pursuit, which ended in his falling off at the same roundabout where he had almost hit a van.
Mr Jeremy Wickham, defending, said Almond has a good job and is due to become a father early in the New Year. He said he is only 19 and would benefit from the probation run Thinking Skills course.
He said Almond’s explanation for not having any L plates was that they had fallen off during a rainstorm.
He said: ‘He would probably only got a telling off if he had stopped but instead he tried to outrun a high performance police motorcycle on a 125 cc scrambler.’