A MAN found guilty of dangerous driving by magistrates last month has launched an eleventh-hour appeal bid against the conviction.

Kyle Roney was said to have driven dangerously in a Vauxhall Corsa car, in Bede and Barwick streets, in Easington Colliery, on December 18, last year.

It follows an incident in which a woman was said to have been hit by the Corsa car, and briefly carried on the bonnet, before falling from the vehicle, uninjured, at about 10.30am.

Roney then drove from the scene but was arrested later and identified by the victim as being the driver.

He denied the offence, but, following a trial before magistrates in Peterlee on July 26, he was convicted and the case was sent to Durham Crown Court to be sentenced.

But, when the case was called into court his counsel, Jamie Adams, told the hearing that he had only just taken defence representation in the case over the weekend, but that his brief was to lodge an appeal against the magistrates’ conviction.

As he was three days outside the permitted time to lodge notice of an appeal he had to seek judicial permission to be permitted to do so.

Recorder Chris Smith said he did not consider this would prevent the appeal taking place and he sought an agreeable date for the hearing.

All parties agreed on November 4 and Recorder Smith bailed the 32-year-old defendant, of Churchill Avenue, Southwick, Sunderland, to return for the three-hour hearing that day.

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