A 13-year-old boy has been fined £25 and given six licence points for riding a motorised go-ped on a public road in Plymouth.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted riding the petrol-fuelled machine without a licence or insurance before Plymouth Youth Court.

Police patrolling Plymouth's North Prospect area at the end of December drove after the boy when they saw him riding the motorised scooter on a road.

When he was later arrested and questioned the teenager told officers he used it to escape youths who were chasing him, prosecutor Paul Richards told the youth court.

Ken Papenfus, defending, said the boy had never intended to use the go-ped on a public road or to 'flout the law.'

The go-ped had been bought as a present by the boy's mother who now planned to return it, Mr Papenfus said.

The Youth Court was told the six points would remain on a DVLA-created 'driving record' for the boy for the next three years.

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