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Dad Seen Riding Off-Road Bike With Infant Son Perched On His Lap

Dad Seen Riding Off-Road Bike With Infant Son Perched On His Lap

The 28-year-old has had his bike seized by cops

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

Police have shared a shocking image showing a man driving an off-road motorcycle with his two-year-old son balanced on his lap.

West Midlands Police released the photo of the 28-year-old man, who reportedly handed the kid over to a family member when he realised he had been seen by a police helicopter in Coventry.

The force said it upped patrols within its Traffic Unit putting additional police bikers out over the bank holiday weekend to try and capture anti-social behaviour involving off-road bikes being driven illegally.

In total they seized nine bikes over the weekend, including the one belonging to the fella in the photo after he was detained in Longford.

He was whacked with a notice of intended prosecution for careless driving and riding a bike in a dangerous condition; the force went on to say it would also liaise with the Crown Prosecution Service to look into additional charges.

The force said referrals were also made to child services due to potential harm that the child, who was not wearing a helmet or protective clothing, may have been exposed to while on the vehicle

West Midlands Police

Tweeting about the incident, West Midlands Police wrote: "We continued our offensive against anti-social off-road bikers over the weekend. We seized nine bikes; all the riders face prosecution.

"Shockingly, we spotted a man tearing up a park with a toddler balanced on his lap."

Traffic Sergeant Mitch Darby said: "It's hard to believe anyone would expose any child, let alone their own, to such danger. The child was balanced precariously on the rider's lap, obviously with no helmet or protective clothing, as he rode across grassland.

"It doesn't bear thinking about what could have happened had he lost control or the child fallen from the bike.

"Apparently the bike was a birthday present - but we've now seized it and will be looking to crush it. Bikes like this cannot be ridden legally on public land; they can only be ridden on private land with the landowner's permission. And they cannot be ridden on our roads.

"We will continue our offensive against illegal off-road bikers throughout the summer. We know they are the bane of our communities and people want us to take action. I hope operations like this show we're listening and acting on their concerns."

Featured Image Credit: West Midlands Police

Topics: UK News, crime