A LONGTOWN teenager was seen in his home town riding a motorbike topless, without a helmet and while smoking cannabis.

Dylan Friel, 19, found himself in court for the first time after eyewitness evidence was passed to police on September 5 last year.

Prosecutor George Shelley told Carlisle Magistrates’ Court: “Police received calls that there was a male riding a motorbike with no shirt on — or helmet — while smoking cannabis around Longtown.”

A registration number for the Apache SMR motorcycle was taken and area search conducted in the town.

Officers attended an address to which the vehicle was registered at around 5.50pm. Friel was seen to be on the bike when it returned to that property. He drove it on to the driveway and turned off the engine.

Friel failed a roadside test which showed he had cannabis in his system.

And, when an evidential blood specimen was later analysed, this revealed the quantity of the class B controlled drug’s main psychoactive ingredient was above the legal driving or riding limit.

In court, Friel pleaded guilty to one drug-driving offence, committed at Mary Street in Longtown. Magistrates were told he held a provisional licence which had been issued in February 2022.

“Mr Friel, prior to today, was a man of previous good character,” said Mr Shelley.

Mitigation was provided by defence lawyer Jeff Smith.

“I don’t have anything persuasive to say to you,” Mr Smith said in an address to magistrates on behalf of the defendant, a steel erector.

“Mr Shelley has told you what Mr Friel did. All I can ask of Mr Friel is: ‘why?’.

“He knows he is going to lose his driving licence for at least 12 months,” added Mr Smith of the mandatory 12-month ban which loomed. “He hopes you will keep the disqualification to the minimum period of 12 months.”

Magistrates did exactly that, imposing a year-long ban which prevents Friel, of Stackbraes Road, Longtown, from using any motor vehicle on a public road.

He was also fined £320 and told to pay additional costs which take his total court bill to £533.