AN electric scooter rider scared shoppers as he weaved through the centre of Newton Abbot with a young child on board.

Dane Baker was stopped by police who discovered that he should not even have been on the scooter because he is banned from driving. 

He put himself at risk of going to prison because he was still subject to six months suspended sentence for dangerous driving and drug driving when he was arrested in October last year.

On that occasion he led police on a chase through Chudleigh Knighton and Newton Abbot in which he went through red lights and drove on the wrong side of the road.

In the new case, Baker, aged 37, of Newton Road, Kingsteignton, admitted driving while disqualified and without insurance and was ordered to do 70 hours unpaid work under a community order.

He was also fined £300 with £100 costs and had six points put on his licence by Judge David Evans, who chose not to activate the suspended sentence. 

He told him: 'In October last year, you drove around a shopping area in Newton Abbot on an e-scooter with a child on the scooter. There was concern that you had an infant on board and you certainly irritated shoppers that day.'

Miss Caroline Bolt, prosecuting, said Baker was disqualified from driving in May last year but was seen riding the e-scooter five months later in Newton Abbot with a child also standing on the device. 

He was stopped by police and told them he did not realise he needed a licence to ride the scooter.

Mr James Adams, defending, said Baker has been doing well under his suspended sentence and has almost completed his previous unpaid work at a charity shop. He works as a concrete layer but much of his income goes to pay child maintenance.

He said Baker had no idea that he was breaking the law and there was a lot of difference between riding a scooter and deliberately getting behind the wheel of a car.