Mansfield dad fled from cops on stolen motorbike thinking ‘they were out to get him’

Guy Fletcher sped away from police on a stolen Yamaha RS1 on the A6117 and Lindhurst Lane, on July 16, 2020, Nottingham Crown Court was told.

He rode at up to 30mph over the speed limit and overtook dangerously before crashing and causing a small amount of damage to the railings. He sustained “significant” injury and may still need further surgery four years on.

"Ironically the police wanted to stop you because you were wearing inappropriate clothing,” Judge William Harbage KC told him on Wednesday.

" Perhaps if you had been wearing appropriate clothing you wouldn't have been so badly injured.”

The court heard Fletcher has no relevant previous convictions and had stayed out trouble since 2012.

Lauren Manuel, mitigating, said he had been buying and selling motorbikes at the time, and had a trader’s insurance policy, but didn't know the bike was stolen. A separate charge of handling stolen goods was discontinued.

"He is someone who has reflected,” she said. “He knows he should have just stopped. He had a separate grievance with the police at the time because he felt they were after them.”

Ms Manuel said the father-of-two was “not somebody who should have found himself in this position.”

He deserves ten per cent credit for his late guilty plea and there has been no offending since, she added.

“Although he has known about these proceedings he has kept out of trouble and kept his head down in relation to work,” Ms Manuel said.

“There were no alcohol or drugs in his system. He has set up a new business since. He is pushing that forward. He is employing three people and is about to employ a fourth.”

Fletcher, now 43, of Parklands Close, Mansfield, initially denied dangerous driving and driving with no insurance before pleading guilty in January this year.

Judge Harbage told him: “Fortunately you didn't cause any harm to other road users. But you put them at great risk.”

Fletcher received a ten-month sentence, suspended for 12 months, with 80 hours of unpaid work. He was disqualified for 12 months and must pay £1,000 court costs.