Harley Sharpe sparked Moss Vale police pursuit on his daughter‘s pee wee motorbike

A disqualified P-plater has led police on a pursuit through suburbia on his daughter’s 49cc mini motorbike, narrowly avoiding hitting a cop.

A disqualified P-plate driver led police on a chase through the streets of Moss Vale on his daughter’s pee wee motorbike, narrowly avoiding hitting a police officer.

Harley Sharpe, 27, appeared in Moss Vale Local Court on Wednesday after being charged with twice driving while disqualified, two counts of riding a motorbike without a helmet, driving an unregistered vehicle on a road without paying tax, and a police pursuit in which he drove dangerously and didn’t stop.

The Moss Vale resident pleaded guilty to the seven offences after the details were settled with the prosecution. The court heard Sharpe was serving an intensive corrections order when he borrowed his daughter’s 49cc mini motorbike to go for a joy ride.

At 5pm on December 29, 2019, Shape was captured on police dashcam footage riding along Watson Rd in Moss Vale towards Berrima Rd on white and red mini motorbike. Police noticed he didn’t have a helmet and was a P-plate driver disqualified from driving for another year and a half.

Harley Sharpe is convicted of leading police on a chase while riding the peewee bike he borrowed from his daughter. Picture: Facebook

The next day at 1pm, court documents show Sharpe was riding his daughter’s peewee bike along Dangar Crescent when police activated the sirens to try to stop him. Police facts state he saw the officers and said “what the f***” before speeding off down Campbell Crescent.

The facts state he was speeding faster than the legal limit when he mounted the kerb and drove along the bike path. The court heard he narrowly avoided hitting a police officer standing near the path.

The cop yelled: “stop Harley, it’s over” and Sharpe braked heavily, skidding for about 10 metres, according to the agreed facts. Despite the skid, the facts show he continued to hoon away from police over a footbridge, through a park, up an embankment and across two lanes of traffic.

Police were tipped off Sharpe was hiding at a house in Moss Vale, where they found the bike. They also found Sharpe, but he jumped a fence and tried to make a run for it, according to the facts.

Police said Sharpe had a continuous disregard for the law and the community, stating his riding endangered the safety of the public, particularly the police officer he almost hit.

Sharpe’s lawyer Fiona Kay told the court her client denied being so close to the police officer. She said her client admitted “it was a silly thing to do”, but he hadn’t realised a children’s motorbike would be a violation of his driving suspension.

“He was on a very small motorbike, a 49cc motorbike. It’s not a powerful engine,” she said.

“He didn’t really feel that being on a kid’s bike would breach the disqualification.”

Harley Sharpe appeared in Moss Vale Local Court on Wednesday.

Magistrate Mark Douglass said even children’s pee wee motorbikes could potentially be fatal to bystanders, especially at high speed.

“If one’s driving quick enough to avoid police, they’re travelling at a rate that – if it hits someone – could kill them,” he said.

He said Sharpe’s conduct was “dangerous”, particularly for causing police to give chase.

“Any police pursuit is a very serious offence,” he said.

Magistrate Douglass sentenced Sharpe to an intensive corrections order, two year-long community corrections orders, and disqualified him from driving for two years.

The court heard Sharpe ask for his daughter’s bike to be returned to her, but Magistrate Douglass said he didn’t have that power. The police facts noted Sharpe has been seen riding a similar bike before and asked for the bike to be forfeited to the crown.