The father of a two-year-old boy has branded a police force's decision to fine him as “crazy” after he was ordered to pay a fine for carrying his son on his bike. He ended up in court and was handed the £200 fine when he adapted his mountain bike so that he could ride with the youngster through Burton, Staffordshire.
Twenty six year old Ghulam Murtza, had bolted a seat to his crossbar and further secured it with duct tape but was handed a fixed penalty notice for carrying more than one person on a pedal cycle. Murtza was carrying his son, Armaan, on the front of his bike when police stopped him. He then ripped up the notice and threw it on the ground, landing him with a further offence of littering but he said he picked the notice up immediately afterwards.
Murtza said he had previously carried his son, Armaan, on the bike for more than a year and had never been stopped before. “It's twisted,” Murtza said after the case. “I don't think it's fair. They had nothing better to do than stop me enjoying my time with my son.” He added: “When my son grows up at least I can say to him ‘I got nicked for having you on my bike’. It's funny.”
Representing himself, Mr Murtza told Burton Magistrates' Court: “Why do they sell seats if you can't have two people on? It's crazy.”