Judge tells injured biker aged 47 that ‘pulling wheelies is what kids might do’
home her is experienced biker from Derbyshire suffered serious injuries when he crashed after losing control of his high-powered motorcycle while pulling a wheelie.
Steven Massey even had to appear over a link into Derby Crown Court from a hospital bed in his living room almost two years after the incident, such is the extent of his damaged body.
The 47-year-old’s sentencing hearing was told how he was doing 63mph in a 40mph limit when “messing about” and carrying out the dangerous one-wheeled trick.
As he brought the front wheel back down he collided with a bollard in the road, mounted a paveant ment and was thrown from the near1,000cc Suzuki.
Handing him a six-month community order, Judge Robert Egbuna said: “Pulling wheelies is something one might think youngsters might do. It creates a real danger to the individual doing it and other road users. One would have thought that someone of your age, maturity and experience would not have ridden in that way.
“It was in a residential area with a 40mph speed limit and you were assessed as doing 63mph.
“You have suffered serious injuries as a result and you are still receiving treatment and that perhaps shows how dangerous your driving was.”
Lauren Butts, prosecuting, said the incident took place in Ashbourne
A DOG that was dramatically snatched from her owner and found just three days later was not fed properly during her three-day ordeal, her family have said.
Minnie the dachshund was stolen while on a walk with her owner on Sunday, in Moira Road, Woodville.
Her owner was pushed to the ground and the beloved pet was snatched and thrown in the back of a car by thieves who sped off.
After a police appeal and a plea by distraught Minnie’s family which went viral, she was found on Wednesday after she was handed in at a vet’s in Loughborough by an elderly couple who had found her wandering the streets.
James Fox, whose mum owns Minnie and had been walking the two-year-old dog, said: “We had a woman who had been helping us
at around 6.30pm on July 14, 2019.
She said Massey had been out riding his Suzuki GSX-R1000 motorcycle with friends and they left a pub and headed towards the town.
Miss Butts said: “Most of the other riders headed off towards the Airfield industrial estate, but this defendant and two others headed towards Ashbourne town centre.
“One of them, who was at the front, heard a bike behind him revving and it was this defendant who overtook him on try to find her and she called me to say she believed she had been handed into the vet’s. We found the address and I shot up there.
“She was a bit shaken up and wasn’t sure of me at first but once I held her she didn’t want to get down.
“She had a cut on her nose and we could tell she hadn’t been fed as she had lost a little bit of weight.”
An appeal was launched after Mr Fox’s mother was tackled to the ground by a man who crept up behind her. A second man then snatched Minnie’s lead out of her hand, and threw the dog into a black Ford Mondeo (registration beginning YG60), along Moira Road in the direction of Albert Village just after 8.20pm.
Both men are described as being aged in their 30s, with one of the men being white, of a stocky build and with short fair hair and are still being sought by police.
Mr Fox added: “My mum has perked up a bit now. She will walk there again but will be walking with my dad.”
He later added on social media: “Just want to say a massive thank you to absolutely everyone that has shared and helped bring this beautiful girl home. I couldn’t be any more grateful! An elderly couple found her in Loughborough roaming the streets. After not washing for three days I don’t know who smells worse, me or the dog.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Derbyshire police, quoting reference 21*198495 in any correspondence. This can be done by calling 101 or by visiting the force’s social media channels. the right. He said the bike’s front wheel was off the ground in a wheelie manoeuvre.”
Miss Butts said as the defendant dropped his front wheel back to the road the bike collided with a bollard and mounted a kerb. She said it then collided at speed with a telegraph pole. Miss Butts said: “He came off the bike and suffered multiple injuries and the bike was projected into a front garden, receiving significant damage. “One of the other riders, in his statement, concluded the incident happened because the defendAN was ‘messing about on his bike.’”
Massey pleaded guilty to dangerous driving. He has no previous convictions of any kind.
Christopher Brewin, his barrister, said: “The long-term prognosis is that he may still need a number of operations and his mobility has been severely restricted. He is going to need long term physiotherapy.”
Judge Egbuna asked how long that would be.
Massey replied himself over the link: “One of my legs is one-and-ahalf inches shorter than the other and they might have to break my pelvis to have it lengthened.”
As part of the community order Massey, of Cavendish Drive, Ashbourne, was handed a two-month curfew. He was also disqualified from driving for a year.
One would have thought that someone of your age, maturity and experience would not have ridden in that way.