A teenager who offered youngsters rides around Keith in a go-kart attached to his moped has been banned from the roads for two years.
Connor Merson was branded “intentionally stupid” after he admitted injuring a boy by dragging the kart attached to his bike with a rope through the town.
Elgin Sheriff Court heard yesterday that as he was riding around, the rope became loose on a tight bend and sent the kart careening into a crowd of onlookers.
One 12-year-old boy caught up in the incident suffered a broken ankle, and his mum contacted the police.
Fiscal depute Kevin Corrins said 17-year-old Merson and his friends first experimented with the idea at a lorry park in Keith’s Edindiach Road area, on February 3 this year, taking turns to drive around the site.
At 9.20pm that same day, the group moved to a more residential area in Denwell Road.
Mr Corrins said: “At that time, two children were on the go-kart with a number of people standing watching.
“Unfortunately, when the accused was heading in the direction of those people, the moped and the kart became detached and the go-kart went out of control.
“Separated from the moped, it ran into the crowd and one 12-year-old spectator was injured with a fractured bone in his ankle.”
Merson, an apprentice carpenter, was represented by solicitor Stephen Carty.
He said: “This was extremely foolhardy and very immature behaviour.
“His parents are not best pleased, and the lesson he has learned has been quite a grave one.
“He can but apologise to the people involved and fully appreciates the gravity of the offence.”
The teenager, of 40 Regent Street in Keith, held only a provisional driving license at the time but has been to ride a moped since turning 16 in October 2013.
Sheriff Peter Grant Hutchison said he believed Merson had not acted maliciously, but had been “intentionally stupid”.
He said: “I’m not convinced this gentleman is mature enough to hold a license for a considerable period.”
He disqualified him for two years and fined him £500.
