A motorcyclist wearing a helmet and a stars and stripes bath robe led police on a chase through the outskirts of the capital as they tried to catch him.

Barry Swain, for the prosecution told the court initial reports to police referred to a learner motorcyclist carrying a helmet-less pillion passenger near the Blackboards.

Police patrols spotted the bike a little later at Richmond Hill and tried to pull it over at the roundabout but it continued without stopping, turning left into the estate at Annacur Lane.

The bike headed towards some rough ground at about 30mph, but police couldn’t catch it, Mr Swain said. Police set up a road block at the top of the lane at the dead end. The bike paused long enough for the pillion passenger to dismount and run away before carrying on, swerving round the police car and making off.

Various people reported seeing the bike, one saying it had gone through a no entry sign, heading into the Pulrose estate and had pulled up in front of a house on Springfield Avenue. The rider was thought to have gone inside.

Mr Swain said police found the bike at the back of a house there and saw the defendant, 21-year-old Daniel Towler, inside looking at them through the window. Despite this, when they knocked at the door, the person who answered it told them Towler was not there. But a few moments later Towler presented himself and provided a breath test. He produced a reading of 56, compared with the legal drink drive limit of 35.

Mr Swain said a stars and stripes dressing gown was recovered from the scene.

He told the court the bike was examined by the test centre and no significant faults were found with it and all Towler’s documentation was in order.

Towler, of Cronkbourne Village, admitted drink driving on February 11.

Defending him, Stephen Wood said: ’It was a single offence of drink driving but there are aggravating features, however, they have not led to any additional charges.’

He said the defendant had spent some time in hospital in the UK and was not currently working but hoped to be again in the near future.

’He’s going to be facing a reasonably lengthy ban,’ Mr Wood told the court.

Sentencing him, Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes said he deserved credit for his timely guilty plea but his co-operation with police had been limited, confined to undertaking the breathalyser test.

’This is a serious offence. You were over the limit. It was not the highest reading but it was not the lowest either,’ she told him.

He was fined £1,000 with £125 costs and was banned from driving for two-and-a-half years.