A GREENOCK man has confessed to driving an off-road quad bike on a street in the town while he was disqualified from holding a licence.

Dennis Morgan appeared from custody at Greenock Sheriff Court after being arrested on September 6.

The 32-year-old pleaded guilty to a charge of riding the quad bike on Tasker Street while he was the subject of a driving ban. 

He admitted a second charge of breaching a condition of bail by being outside of his home address during the hours of a curfew.

The court was told that police had attended the area at around 8pm that night, following reports of anonymous males driving off-road bikes down the street.

Upon their arrival, officers observed Morgan and two other unknown males on quad bikes.

The two men who were with Morgan made off from the scene, but police blocked Morgan's path to prevent him getting away.

Fiscal depute Joanne Gilmour said: “The accused was observed to make efforts to start the off-road quad bike, however, officers positioned the police vehicle in front of him to prevent him making off.”

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Morgan's defence solicitor, Aidan Gallagher, told the court that the quad bike was owned by Morgan, but had been in use by another person earlier that evening.

The quad, he said, had collided with a fence across the road from Morgan’s home on Tasker Street, with his partner then asking that he go to retrieve it.

Mr Gallagher said: “The circumstances appear to be somewhat unusual.

“Nevertheless, he is on the quad bike, and he is in control of it.

“Mr Morgan was sitting on the bike. He was going to take it across the road.

“The intention is to bring it back to the house rather than leaving it on the street.”

Sheriff Anthony McGeehan deferred sentencing until next month to allow for the preparation of social work reports, and granted a defence motion for Morgan to be allowed bail until then.

Morgan had also been charged with driving without insurance on Tasker Street and being possession of a quantity of cocaine at Greenock police office on the same date.

However, his pleas of not guilty to those charges were accepted by the Crown.