A FATHER'S desperate dash to the side of his ill son ended in arrest when he tried to steal a bike to speed up his journey, then bit the owner who tried to prevent his escape.

Harrogate magistrates heard yesterday how Jonathan Hullah had been watching television in his living room in the early hours of December 27 when his security camera system was activated by a movement at the rear of the house.

Stephanie Waite, prosecuting, said the camera had detected an attempt by Iain Dunn to steal a £150 mountain bike.

Mrs Waite said the bike was chained to a bench and Dunn, 24, was still beside it when Mr Hullah emerged to grab him and pull him to the ground.

Although Dunn broke free and ran off, he was rugby-tackled by Mr Hullah, whose neighbours had alerted the police.

Dunn, of Halstead Road, Harrogate, who pleaded guilty to attempted theft and assault, had bitten the back of Mr Hullah's head as he tried to escape.

In mitigation, Geoffrey Rogers said Dunn had been visiting a friend on the other side of Harrogate when his partner called in a panic to tell him their two-year-old son had been taken ill.

"She wanted him back as quickly as possible and he started running towards his home in a different part of Harrogate," he said.

"Then, over a fence, he saw the cycle in a back yard and decided it would be quicker to use it."

The court was told that Dunn, who had been on licence from prison at the time, had been recalled to serve the balance of a sentence which would end on May 18.

Magistrates' chairman Gordon Charlton said it was the second occasion Dunn had breached the terms of his licence and imposed a further two-month sentence.