Young girl riding as illegal passenger on Leeds dad's pit bike injured in van collision
A young girl was injured after her dad put her on a pit bike on a Leeds street that was struck by a van.
The youngster, who was not wearing a helmet or protective clothing, could be heard screaming after landing at the wheel of the van in Seacroft.
The father, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the youngster, also did not have any protective clothing and was wearing a balaclava rather than a helmet. He said the accelerator had jammed and caused the bike to take off - a problem he later said he experienced before with the off-road bike.
The 21-year-old avoided custody at Leeds Crown Court after admitting child neglect and dangerous driving. But Judge Kate Rayfield told him: “You had no business putting her on that bike for even a split second.
“When you decided to do that for reasons that are utterly beyond me, you put her at risk. Children do not understand risks, particularly children as young as her.
“You caused her harm and significant distress.”
The court heard that the dad had been on the bike between 3pm and 4pm on July 29. Dashcam footage was played to the court from a driver behind the highways maintenance van that struck the child.
The bike appeared to be on the pavement but accelerated quickly into the road and into the path of the oncoming van. The young girl landed at the nearside wheels as the dad appeared to tend to the bike first before picking up the girl.
He was heard to say it was his fault and was overheard saying: “Somebody is going to f****** call the police on me again.”
He then said a relative would be coming to take the girl to hospital.
By the time the police arrived, everybody had left the scene, but the black pit bike was found lent up against a wall. It appeared to be in poor condition, prosecutor Andrew Semple told the court.
The officers drove to Leeds General Infirmary where they found the girl with her mother. Her arm was badly grazed and it was initially thought it was fractured, although scans later showed otherwise.
The dad handed himself into the police station two days later, but gave a no-comment interview. He has previous convictions for weapons and battery.
Mitigating, Abigail Langford said: “He was in a state of panic having seen the injuries to his child. He was reported to have been overwhelmed by guilt.
“There is not an attempt to minimise the seriousness of her injuries.”
She said there had been an intervention from social services and the young girl’s parents had been put on a child protection plan.
Judge Rayfield gave the defendant a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months. She said: “I accept it was a momentary lapse of judgement on your part and the dangerous driving was extremely brief. I accept you are overwhelmed by guilt.”
He was given 150 hours of unpaid work to complete and 30 rehabilitation days. He was also banned from driving for 12 months and must take an extended driving test to get his licence back.