A teenage motorbike thief who knocked a security guard unconscious while fleeing a Newcastle city centre car park has been given a suspended sentence. Bradley Wallace, 19, collided with the guard as he tried to escape after being caught stealing a motorbike at The Gate car park in the early hours of August 4.
Wallace and another man had arrived at the car park on a motorbike carrying bolt cutters. CCTV showed the passenger using the cutters to remove a chain from a parked motorbike before moving it away with Wallace's help.
Security staff intervene
A CCTV operator spotted the theft and alerted security staff, who intercepted the second man and detained him. Wallace then attempted to flee on his bike, speeding around a corner where guards tried to block his path. As one guard moved right, Wallace veered left and knocked him over.
The victim lost consciousness and suffered swelling and scratches. He was taken to hospital by ambulance and struggled to walk for some hours afterwards. In a victim impact statement, he said: "I now have a fear criminals will come after me and harm me as a victim of this crime. I'm really scared about what happened because the men know where I work and know my face."
Court sentencing
At Newcastle Crown Court, Judge Jonathan Carroll said he was giving Wallace the "benefit of the doubt" over whether he deliberately rode into the victim, which spared him from immediate custody. The judge told him: "Had you been a bit faster or at a little bit of a different angle, you could be sat there now for something as serious as a death by dangerous driving. It's a matter of mere chance that the victim has not suffered catastrophic injuries or death."
Wallace, of Fenton Walk, West Denton, Newcastle, came off the bike after the collision and tried to flee on foot but was detained by other security staff until police arrived. He was found with a knife, which he claimed was for a camping trip. The stolen bike sustained £3,500 of damage.
Sentence and conditions
Wallace, who had no previous convictions but eight penalty points on his licence, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, theft of a motor vehicle, having a bladed article, going equipped for theft and having no insurance. He was sentenced to 22 months suspended for two years, with 150 hours unpaid work, a mental health treatment requirement, and a 12-month driving ban with an extended retest required.
Mairi Clancy, defending, said Wallace is immature, had a difficult childhood, has mental health issues, and claimed custody would risk him going down a "far darker path". She added that he has the chance to train as a wind turbine engineer.
