South Shields dad hit pedestrian with electric scooter then blamed his daughter

Dean Sehman, 32, was standing behind the youngster as he rode along restaurant-rich Ocean Road, in South Shields, on the evening of Friday, December 27.

Sehman, of nearby Wallington Grove, Woodbine Estate, smashed into his victim’s leg when he stepped out from an eatery, prosecutor Emily Sanderson said.

The force of the collision knocked the man over, causing a blow which forced his withdrawal from a planned weightlifting competition.

When he shouted in anger, “Are you for real?” Sehman responded: “It’s not my fault, it’s my daughter’s fault.”

At South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court, the offender came clean and pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention.

He also admitted driving without a licence and driving without insurance – and was banned from the roads for 56 days.

Ms Sanderson said: “The witness states that he had been to a restaurant in Ocean Road, with his partner’s family.

“He placed one foot outside the door and was knocked over by an electric scooter being driven by two people.

“One was a young girl, the other an adult male. The victim shouted at the male, ‘Are you for real?’

“The male said, ‘It’s not my fault, it’s my daughter’s fault’. The young girl was standing on the front of the scooter.

“The adult male was standing behind, with his hands on the handlebars.”

In a statement to police, the victim confirmed an injury sustained had caused him to cancel his participation in the sports event.

He also said he had been concerned for the safety of the girl.

The court heard Sehman has six previous convictions from seven offences.

The last was for failing to provide a sample for analysis in 2022, for which he was banned from driving for two years.

Ben Hurst, defending, said Sehman was unaware it was a legal requirement to have valid insurance and a driving licence when riding an electric scooter.

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Mr Hurst also criticised retailers who sell such machines without informing buyers of the legal necessities.

He added: “An unusual careless driving offence, I would say. It was an electric scooter, something we’re seeing more and more, unfortunately.

“He wasn't aware that he needed insurance and a licence, and that it’s careless to drive on a pavement.

“When you go into certain High Street retailers for these scooters, they don’t go very far into telling you that you need insurance and a licence.

“The victim stepped out of the store, and it was unfortunate that as soon as he stepped out, the scooter collided with him.

“Having seen the footage, I don’t see how the defendant could have avoided him, but he shouldn’t have been on the pavement.

“He wasn’t going at speed, and he wasn’t making manoeuvres that he shouldn’t have been making.”

Magistrates also fined Sehman £300, with a £120 surcharge and £85 costs, and ordered him to pay his victim £100 compensation.

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