A biker forced a group of primary school children to run for their lives by deliberately driving at them at speed as they enjoyed lunch outside their school.
Darren Clunie put his foot down on a trail bike and drove aggressively towards a group of 20 children before turning round and driving back along a footpath.
Father-of-one Clunie, 22, was banned from driving for a year and fined £760 after he admitted the offence at Perth Sheriff Court yesterday.
He admitted driving aggressively towards a group of primary school children and causing them to flee outside Rattray Primary School on August 30 last year.
He admitted accelerating aggressively, swerving on to and driving along a footpath at excessive speed, and driving towards two named people.
Clunie – who has a number of previous convictions for driving offences – was a provisional licence holder and had no insurance to drive the trail bike.
Depute fiscal Catriona MacQueen said: “Support staff ushered the children into the school for their safety and the police were contacted.
“The incident was also seen by members of the public.”
Clunie was not traced until more than a month later and he eventually admitted he had borrowed a friend’s motorbike and driven it near the school.
Sheriff Keith O’Mahoney said: “You pled guilty to careless driving. You were originally prosecuted for dangerous driving and as a consequence my powers are now restricted.
“In my view this was an extremely serious matter and at the top end of careless driving.”
Solicitor Mike Tavendale, defending, said: “He acknowledges it was not the cleverest idea to drive down the common at that particular time and he regrets any upset he caused.”
