Teen goaded police in quad bike chase

Ateenager “goaded” police as he whizzed through Glenrothes streets on a quad bike and steered into the path of oncoming traffic.

Brandon Brown appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court yesterday and admitted driving dangerously and without a licence on roads and through public places in 2019, when he was just 15.

His actions prompted multiple calls to police from concerned residents.

Brown, now 18, was banned from the road for a year and placed on a sixmonth structured deferred sentence.

Sheriff Maryam Labaki told him: “This is to allow you to prove you can remain out of trouble and that this is an isolated incident, because you are very lucky no-one was hurt.”

Procurator fiscal depute Jill Currie said police received a number of anonymous calls from members of the public about a quad bike being driven dangerously on the evening of November 3 2019.

Officers were initially unable to trace the vehicle, but about an hour later they responded to a separate matter and saw the quad bike being driven at speed along public footpaths in front of shops.

The depute fiscal told the court: “The driver of the quad bike was beeping his horn at officers. Officers had to request assistance as a large number of members of the public made calls.

“Officers continued to observe the accused drive in the middle of the road and the wrong side of the road, swerving across the carriageway towards oncoming vehicles. The accused was not stopping as police were trying to request him to do so.

“The accused then mounted a pavement in order to evade police efforts to stop him and the police, who were conveying a member of the public to their home address in relation to another incident, could see the accused began following behind a marked police car in order to goad them.

“Police lost sight of the accused at this point. Later in the evening he was traced and cautioned and charged.”

Brown, of Skibo Avenue Glenrothes, admitted driving dangerously on various roads and public places, including Postgate, a footpath in the Glamis Centre, Glamis Avenue, Viewfield and Stenton Road.

The charge stated he drove at excessive speeds and along a footpath, repeatedly failed to keep the vehicle under control and caused other drivers to take evasive action to avoid a collision.

He repeatedly drove along the opposing carriageway into the path of oncoming vehicles and repeatedly swerved across the road.

It also stated he again mounted a footpath which was busy at the time with pedestrians and drove too close to the back of a police vehicle. Brown also pleaded guilty to failing to stop the quid bike for police in the Stenton Road and driving it without a valid licence or insurance in place.