Two young men were dealt fines yesterday after they admitted leading officers on high-speed chases in separate incidents this summer.

Daniel Chadwick, 21, pleaded guilty to a count of driving without due care and attention in connection with an incident on July 5.

The court heard that at about 9.15pm that day officers were on mobile patrol in an unmarked vehicle proceeding along South Road in Warwick when a motorcycle, at high speed, overtook them and a taxi in front of them.

The officers activated their emergency lights and pursued the motorcycle, signalling for the rider to stop the vehicle, but the motorcycle continued to travel east at a high rate of speed.

The chase continued past Dunscombe Road, where the rider narrowly avoided striking parked cars before the motorcycle veered up Billy Goat Hill.

The officers continued to Cobbs Hill Road and travelled towards Ord Road, where they intercepted the same motorcycle travelling east, reactivated their lights and followed the rider, later identified as Chadwick, until he stopped near Town House Drive and was arrested.

While Chadwick was charged with dangerous driving, the Crown accepted a plea to the lesser offence of driving without due care and attention.

Magistrate Maria Sofianos said that while Chadwick was a young man, he was old enough to know better and fortunate that the prosecution allowed him to plead to the lesser offence.

“Too many young people are dying on Bermuda’s roads and you don’t want to be another statistic,” she added, fining Chadwick $1,000 and ordering the sum to be paid forthwith.

During the same court sitting, Brandon Burrows, 18, pleaded guilty to driving dangerously and driving while disqualified by age in connection with an incident on August 23.

The court heard that at about 5pm that day, officers in an unmarked police car noticed Burrows, whom they recognised, travelling at high speed on Stock’s Road in St David’s.

The officers watched Burrows narrowly avoid colliding with another vehicle before activating their emergency lights. Burrows allegedly looked back at the police vehicle, put down the visor of his helmet and continued to ride away.

The officers followed Burrows down Southside Road and St David’s Road before he steered on to a footpath, causing a pedestrian to take evasive action.

Officers later spotted the teenager at St David’s petrol station and arrested him.

He subsequently apologised to the police officers, stating that he knew what he had done was wrong and it would not happen again.

Ms Sofianos, who noted that Burrows was 17 years old at the time of the incident, fined him $750 for dangerous driving and another $500 for riding while disqualified by age.

She also disqualified Burrows from driving all vehicles for 18 months, stating that she would rather see his photograph in the newspaper as an academic success story than as another road fatality.

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