A CARLISLE man 'panicked' and drove away from police after being reported missing by concerned relatives.

Ryan Batey, 25, had been due to attend court in connection with an unrelated matter on August 12 but left the building before his hearing began.

He went on to commit two crimes that afternoon.

“He has been emotional and upset with his parents, causing his parents to be concerned about his welfare,” prosecutor Andy Travis told the city’s magistrates’ court on Thursday.

Batey left their house in a Mercedes A class vehicle and police were contacted.

“As a result he has been recorded as a missing person,” said Mr Travis.

Two uniformed patrol officers learned Batey had been sighted in the Kemplay Bank area near Penrith.

After he was spotted driving towards the town centre, PCs followed with the lights and sirens of their vehicle activated.

Batey’s Mercedes came to a standstill in traffic on Victoria Road.

Officers pulled behind; one got out and approached the driver’s door.

“The vehicle has then driven away from me at speed,” stated the PC, who believed the driver “clearly had no regard for pedestrians and road users”.

A short time later they learned Batey, of Hebden Avenue, had returned home. When interviewed he admitted driving off, saying he was “scared and panicking”.

He admitted careless driving and failing to stop for a PC.

In mitigation, Mark Shepherd called a police summary of the case “somewhat of an exaggeration”. CCTV showed there were no pedestrians in the immediate area. Batey had moved around two stationary vehicles and mounted a pavement.

“Ryan Batey is a man who was in considerable distress at that time,” said Mr Shepherd. “It wasn’t a high speed manoeuvre by any stretch of the imagination.

“This is somebody who had a full, clean licence before he panicked that day.”

District Judge Paul Conlon imposed a total fine of £160 and ordered that five penalty points should be added to Batey’s licence.

“In my view there was some measure of aggressive driving in the manoeuvre, and you did mount the pavement in order to avoid police,” concluded District Judge Conlon.