Marston Green teen jailed for treating the streets like a racetrack

A MARSTON Green motorcyclist - whose dangerous manoeuvres put other road users at risk - has been sent to a young offenders' institute.
Jack Smith, 19, of Fulwell Mews, admitted a charge of dangerous driving and was also banned from the road for three years.
Birmingham Crown Court heard that the teenager was one of several bikers seen speeding through a residential area one afternoon last November.
A police helicopter observed the gang weaving through the streets and cutting across parkland in the Tile Cross area. They covered around six or seven miles in half an hour, sometimes driving on the wrong side of the road.
At one point Smith, who wasn't wearing a helmet, had tumbled off his bike to avoid colliding with another vehicle. He was eventually arrested after running out of petrol.
Judge Nicholas Webb said that the gang had treated the streets like a racetrack and a message needed to be sent about the dangers of such reckless behaviour.
Timothy Harrington, defending, said the group of young men had been "messing about", but Smith now realised he could not continue to act in such a juvenile way.
The teenager was given eight months in custody.

• Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson was recently invited to Chelmsley Wood by Labour Party activists, who remain concerned about the number of riders tearing around local streets. Mr Jamieson, formerly a Kingshurst councillor, said he would work with his officers to curb the problem.