Driving 'menace' locked up

A car driver who collided with a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and dragged the machine and its two riders along the road with the handlebars jammed in the car window has been jailed.

Jeremy Arthur Greenwood, 19, of Nelson was sentenced in Nelson District Court on Friday to 20 months imprisonment after earlier admitting 12 charges, ranging from burglary to reckless driving.

Judge Richard Russell said that on New Year's Day Greenwood accelerated out of a service station in Nelson hitting the motorbike carrying a man and his wife.

The handlebars became wedged in his car window.

Greenwood failed to stop, and drove off, dragging the bike for several metres. The bike only became free after Greenwood turned sharply and drove through a red light and narrowly missed another motorcyclist.

Judge Russell told Greenwood the victims' lives had been turned upside down by the incident and would continue to suffer from their injuries for weeks if not years.

"You are nothing short of a menace on the roads."

Greenwood was also disqualified from driving for 2 1/2 years and ordered to pay reparation of $4086.

- NZPA