(Image: ANDY FUTERS)
A joyriding biker rode across pavements and skipped red lights as he led police on a chase through Spennymoor.
Taylor Sample, 23, of Tudhoe Moor, Spennymoor, was spotted along with another E-biker riding dangerously in Spennymoor, ignoring red lights and riding across pavements.
A pursuit was authorised, but within seconds one of the bikes collided with a car. The rider ditched the bike, lost a shoe, and made off on foot.
The rider was identified as Taylor Sample, and DNA recovered from the abandoned shoe confirmed he was the rider who fled the scene.
He appeared at Peterlee Magistrates' Court, where he admitted driving without insurance, failing to stop, and leaving the scene of a collision.
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He was handed a one-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, disqualified from driving for 12 months, and must pass an extended driving test before getting back on the roads.
A spokesperson for Durham Police said: "Dangerously riding illegal, uninsured vehicles poses a serious risk to our communities.
"We will continue to use all available resources to identify those responsible and put them before the courts."