A TEENAGER who crashed his car as he tried to avoid being arrested, then ran off and had to be tracked by a police dog, a court was told yesterday.

Magistrates at Harrogate heard that Graham Peter Taylor was spotted at the wheel of a green Rover parked within the limits of a pelican crossing in North Street, Ripon, early on December 10.

Steven Ovenden, prosecuting, said Taylor, 18, drove off as officers went to speak to him. Police pursued the Rover by car into Trinity Road, Church Lane, Park Street and Studley Road.

But the police control room refused to allow the pursuit to continue and the police vehicle dropped back to a distance of 200 metres as the Rover left Ripon, using country lanes as it headed towards Aldfield.

Mr Ovenden said police lost sight of Taylor, of Leemires Farm, Sawley, near Ripon, but at Aldfield they found the car had gone off the road, down a bank and into a field of crops.

Taylor climbed out and ran away. Police followed him into an overgrown area, lost him and called in a dog handler.

More than an hour later, Taylor was found, but it was two-and-a-half hours before a breath test revealed he was nine milligrammes below the drink-drive limit.

When Taylor pleaded guilty to careless driving and failing to stop for police, Mr Ovenden said the Crown was unable to show what the reading would have been when he drove off.

Taylor told police he had drunk two pints of lager, thought he might have been over the limit and needed his licence for work.

He told the court: "Let's say I only drove off because I panicked. I have never been stopped before. I am very sorry, it won't happen again.''

Court chairman Forrest Humphrey told Taylor that by driving away and running off, he had avoided a proper police investigation. He imposed fines totalling £160 with costs of £50 and six penalty points.