Boy, 16, fined just £25 after crashing on 3am drive to shops
A teenager who took his mother's partner's car for a drive without a licence before hitting a wall has been fined just £25.
The 16 year old from Wednesbury, who cannot be named for legal reasons, took the Renault Megane for a drive at 3am on March 5 so he could buy some cigarettes, Walsall Magistrates Court heard.
After taking the keys from the partner's coat pocket while he was asleep, the teenager drove around in the early hours until he hit a garden wall outside a house on Dudley Street, Wolverhampton.
He then returned home, put the keys back and 'hoped no-one would know'.
He pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking and vehicle damage, driving without insurance and driving without a licence.
Prosecuting, Val Hart, said: "The car had been parked outside the property of the defendant's mother's address.
"The defendant took the keys and drove until he crashed into a garden wall, before returning to replace them, hoping nobody would know.
"The morning after the incident, the owner told him that he had noticed the car was gone during the night, before the defendant admitted he had taken it out.
"He said he had crashed the car because it was wet and he was driving too fast.
"The complainant whose wall was damaged said he went out in the middle of the night after hearing a loud bang and saw the car with its airbags deployed.
"The wall had not long been repaired to the cost of around £1,000."
Despite admitting guilt to the three charges, the teenager escaped with a nine month referral order and a £25 victim surcharge to pay.
He was also given a 12 month driving ban, despite not yet having a licence.
Defence solicitor Mazar Iqbal said: "My client is not known to the police and has no record of offending.
"This is a serious offence and he knows that, but it does not cross the custodial threshold."
When handing out the charge and sentence, senior magistrate Sandra Vaughn said that because the car belonged to a member of the teenagers family and the damage to the wall hadn't been quantified, she would not be awarding costs.
She said: "During the next nine months, the youth offending team will be working with you to find out more about yourself and ensure you don't do this sort of thing again.
"You may not have a licence now but what you have done will go on your record."
Speaking in his defence at the end of the case, the teenager said: "I would like to apologise to everyone involved and I am very sorry for my actions.
"I should have just stayed at home and now I just want to put this behind me and move on with my life."
