May 26, 2010

Teen admits high speed offending

A Rangiora teen was warned that if he was just a little older he would now be in jail awaiting sentence, after he admitted speeding off in his car when he saw the police.

?If you were over 20 you would be in prison now,? Judge Jane Farish told 17-year-old Rhys Robert Michael Mills, who stole a car and collided with another car at speed.

The unemployed teenager pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle recklessly and causing injury, two charges of unlawfully taking a car, and one of intentionally damaging a fence.

He was driving the unlawfully taken car, with a companion, when he saw a police car and sped off. He was seen overtaking dangerously, and was driving around the streets at more than 100kmh.

He hit the rear of another vehicle causing it to spin. Both occupants of that car were injured.

His car continued and skidded into a fence. He then smashed more fence palings and ran off but was eventually found by a police dog.

He told police that he did not recall hitting another vehicle.

Judge Farish said Mills would likely receive a short term prison sentence and asked for a probation report with appendices to check his suitability for home and community detention.

She remanded him on bail to August 3 and told him he could not drive a vehicle while on bail.