Teenage e-bike rider who seriously injured seven-year-old boy in crash while speeding through red light is jailed for 18 months
Eighteen-year-old Callean Wyburn has been jailed for 18 months after riding through a red light and seriously injuring a seven-year-old boy at a crossing in Christchurch, Dorset. The court said the dangerous driving posed serious risks to others, and that the offence was too serious for a sentence other than immediate custody.
Wyburn was 17 when he and two friends were seen speeding and weaving through traffic on electric motorcycles on 10 June last year. The boy, who was crossing with his mother, suffered a fractured jaw, lost a tooth and was left with a permanent facial scar; his dental treatment is ongoing. Wyburn pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and to riding without a licence or insurance, then fled the scene after giving a false name before handing himself in the next day.
- Teenager jailed for 18 months after red-light crash.
- Seven-year-old suffered serious facial and dental injuries.
- Wyburn fled the scene, then handed himself in.
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Electric motorcycles are small motorised vehicles that resemble bicycles but can travel at high speeds. They have become increasingly common on UK roads, though there remains confusion about their legal status and who is allowed to ride them. This story concerns a serious collision involving one such vehicle.
A seven-year-old boy was struck by an electric motorcycle whilst crossing the street with his mother in Christchurch, Dorset, in June last year. The collision caused him serious injuries including a fractured jaw, a lost tooth, and a permanent facial scar, requiring ongoing dental treatment. The rider did not remain at the scene of the accident.
The incident raises wider questions about the regulation of electric motorcycles, who should be permitted to ride them, and how to protect pedestrians on public roads. It also highlights the importance of proper licensing, insurance, and adherence to traffic laws when operating motorised vehicles.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The serious permanent injury to a seven-year-old child—fractured jaw, lost tooth, facial scar, ongoing dental treatment—combined with dangerous driving without licence or insurance and fleeing the scene, justifies custodial sentencing. Immediate imprisonment protects the public, deters similar recklessness, and demonstrates that endangering children through wanton disregard for safety carries severe consequences.
The case against
The offender was 17 at the time of the offence, when neuroscience shows judgement and impulse control are still developing. Research demonstrates custodial sentences for youth offenders often worsen long-term outcomes; intensive community-based supervision, restorative justice, and therapeutic intervention more effectively achieve both meaningful accountability and genuine behavioural change whilst protecting public safety.