The youngster was sitting next to the petrol tank and clutching the handlebars of the Suzuki bike when 24-year-old Paul Forsyth sped off after being spotted by a passing patrol car.

Forsyth, who was with a group of people at the time, took flight because the 50cc machine was not supposed to be driven on public roads, a court heard.

Neither he or the child were wearing any protective clothing or headgear at the time.

Forsyth has now been warned he faces a jail sentence for his "foolish" antics.

Magistrates were told Forsyth "was driving in an erratic manner putting himself and the child in danger" when he took off towards a former railway track near Bridge Road, in Shotton Colliery, on September 20.

When he was caught police found he was more than three times the drink-drive limit with 116 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

When Forsyth, of North Road East, Wingate, appeared at Peterlee Magistrates' Court he admitted one charge of exposing a child to injury and a number of motoring offences.

Magistrates told him they felt their maximum sentencing powers of six months in prison were not enough and committed his case to Durham Crown Court.

Janet Mason, prosecuting, told the court: "Officers on mobile patrol in a shopping area saw him sitting on a quad bike with a small child in front of him.

"When he saw the police he drove off in a fast manner and police gave chase.

"They used a pincer-like movement and found he was still on the bike which had stopped.

"They noticed the child was still sitting on the bike near the petrol tank holding on to the handlebars.

"While he was driving the bike neither he or the child appeared to be secure and he was driving in an erratic manner putting himself and the child in danger.

"Neither he or the child had crash helmets."

Jaxon Taylor, defending Forsyth, told the court: "The prosecution is brought on the basis that he exposed the child to a situation where there was a possibility of it sustaining injury.

"It is brought entirely on the basis he did something foolish. The quad bike was driven a relatively short distance for around a minute or two.

"He concedes he has a problem with alcohol and has been to his GP and been referred to a programme."

Magistrates told Forsyth: "Considering each offence singularly we could probably deal with them in this court, but taking the event as a whole we feel our sentencing powers are not sufficient.

"The seriousness of this can only be dealt with at crown court."
Forsyth, who also admitted driving with excess alcohol, driving without insurance and without valid driving licence, was granted unconditional bail to appear at Durham Crown Court on a date yet to be fixed.