VIDEO: Peterborough teenager who nearly hit bus whilst illegally riding e-scooter sent to detention centre

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested by neighbourhood policing officers in Lincoln Road on 5 May this year after receiving reports of dangerous riding in the city centre.

At about 9.30am, CCTV operators spotted the teen riding the e-scooter dangerously around Peterborough city centre, including through Queensgate shopping centre.

He was tracked on camera riding the wrong way down a road, narrowly avoiding hitting a council marshal and nearly colliding head-on with a bus.

Police were called who arrested him on suspicion of dangerous driving, as well as driving without a licence or insurance. He was later charged with all three offences.

On Wednesday last week (15 September), he appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court where he admitted the offences and was sentenced to a four-month detention training order (DTO) – a custodial sentence for 12 to 17-year-olds – which will be added on to an existing DTO he is currently serving for breaches of a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO).

Sergeant Andy Morris, from the City Centre Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “At the time of the arrest, when we announced this on social media it sparked quite a discussion and debate.

“As an investigation was ongoing, we were unable to go into much detail at the time but I hope now that the teen has been convicted and we have been able to release the footage, many people will understand why this action was taken.

“The way he was ‘driving’ had the potential of causing real risk to members of our community and the standards of driving fell well below that expected of a reasonable and competent driver. We continue to undertake educational work within schools and retail outlets on the legalities and public safety issues associated with e-scooters.

“Only if it is proportionate in the circumstances and where there is risk to public safety will we consider enforcement action. We will always try to adopt an educational approach in the first instance to ensure our time is utilised wisely.”

Electronic scooters, more commonly known as e-scooters, fall within the legal definition of a ‘motor vehicle’, therefore laws that apply to motor vehicles also apply to e-scooters such as requiring the rider to have insurance and a valid driving licence.

They are also currently illegal to use in public in England, unless part of a government trial.

More information about the law surrounding use of e-scooters can be found on the police website here https://bit.ly/39uPU4i.