A banned driver who rode a motorbike after drinking and sped away from police has been jailed for 12 months.

Ashley Robert Gardner pleaded guilty to drink-driving, driving while disqualified, failing to stop for police, and having no driving licence or insurance.

The 26-year-old was already subject to a suspended sentence and a probation order at the time of the offences.

Deputy High Bailiff Rachael Braidwood sentenced Gardner to four months’ custody for the latest offences, and activated eight months of his 12 month suspended sentence, to run consecutively.

We previously reported that the latest offences were committed on July 8, at 4.30pm.

Police on patrol saw Gardner riding a Honda CBF125 motorbike, heading towards Colby Glen.

This was despite being given a three year driving ban just weeks earlier, in June this year.

The bike was described as being ‘out of control’ and swerving all over the road.

Officers caught up with Gardner at Cronk Y Thatcher where he had fallen off the motorbike and was picking it up.

They told him to stop but he ignored them and continued trying to start it, revving it loudly.

The bike then rolled back and hit the police vehicle slightly, before Gardner sped off on the wrong side of the road.

Police followed and then found the bike lying on its side at Cronk Cullyn.

Gardner was trying to climb over a nearby wall but was arrested.

After being taken to police headquarters, he failed a breathalyser test with a reading of 40, above the legal limit of 35.

On June 18, he had been given a three year driving ban, as well as a two year probation order, after crashing a car while under the influence of ecstasy and benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine.

In October 2022, he was given a suspended sentence of 12 months’ custody, suspended for two years, for two counts of assaulting a police officer, committed during a brawl outside the Nag’s Head in Victoria Street, Douglas.

Defence advocate Louise Cooil said that her client had had periods of stability, proving he could live an offence-free life, but had suffered trauma in his past.

The advocate said that Gardner, who lives at Ronague Road in Castletown, accepted that he had difficulties with substance misuse, both alcohol and drugs.

Ms Cooil said that he had been on remand for eight weeks and had been engaging well with professionals.

The advocate referred to a probation report which said that Gardner’s offending was more reflective of his addictions than his character.

The Deputy High Bailiff told the defendant: ‘You were sentenced in June for drug driving and possession of ecstasy, when you rolled your car, and were given a two year probation order, and I didn’t activate your suspended sentence.

‘Three weeks later, you went out and committed a set of very similar offences.’