A 16-year-old danger driver who led police on a 30-hour-long cat-and-mouse hunt has been locked up.
Sheriff Gary Aitken said it was a “difficult balancing act” when deciding between custody and rehabilitation for the Aberdeen boy, who is now 17.
But he opted to protect the public by sentencing the teen – who cannot be named for legal reasons – to a maximum of 15 months in a secure unit.
Inverness Sheriff Court previously heard how the youth endangered police officers’ lives by driving his car towards them and sparking a 55-mile-long course of dangerous driving over March 10 and 11 last year in Inverness and Moray.
Fiscal depute Emily Hood said police first were drawn to the attention of the teen when he drove at speed through a pedestrian archway in Lombard Street, Inverness, at 12.20am and refused to stop when signalled to do so by three police constables on foot patrol.
Ms Hood said: “The accused accelerated and drove directly towards them all, two of them having to take evasive action by jumping to the left to avoid being struck.
“He stuck his middle finger up at them.
“He then veered his vehicle to the left towards one of the officers who had to suddenly move behind a set of metal bollards to avoid being struck.”
Vehicles struck by Subaru
The silver Subaru, with a 55 plate, then drove through Inverness and was lost to view.
CCTV picked it up being driven along Academy Street and it was traced to Clachnaharry Road by a police vehicle but it sped away. Ms Hood said no pursuit of it was authorised.
The teenager was located about 11pm later that day in the Merkinch area after it struck another vehicle on Kessock Avenue.
The occupants of that car followed the teenager and saw it drive the wrong way along Pumpgate Street.
One of the witnesses jumped out of the vehicle to take a photograph of the Subaru, only for the youth to drive towards her and she was pulled to safety by her partner.
Their vehicle was then struck head-on by the Subaru, which then hit a parking sign and mounted the pavement before driving off.
The youth was spotted by an off-duty constable half an hour later at the Esso garage in the Longman.
Teen found asleep at the wheel
A police car attempted to stop him from driving away, but the unlicensed driver quickly reversed out of the forecourt and disappeared into the night along the A96.
The court heard it was spotted about 75 minutes later in the Moray area and then again about 2.10am in Keith, when it was seen driving at speed on the opposing carriageway to the danger of others.
Ms Hood said 2.35am on March 11 the Subaru struck the rear of another vehicle on an unclassified road at Whitehill, Keith.
At 6.40am, police received a call that the vehicle was abandoned in the middle of the road and was causing an obstruction on Grampian Road, Elgin.
“Police attended and observed the accused in the driver’s seat, apparently asleep. He was arrested,” Ms Hood concluded.
The 17-year-old admitted three charges of driving dangerously and two of assault to danger of life.
Boy was using brother’s car
His lawyer, Neil McRobert had hoped his client may receive a sentence in the community after spending the equivalent of a three-and-a-half month custodial sentence on remand.
He told the court: “There is little that can be said to mitigate his conduct. It was his brother’s car, the driving was indeed dangerous and at the age of 16, he had no right to be behind the wheel.
“He is remorseful and ashamed and this could have had more serious consequences not only for himself but more significantly for others.”
During his sentencing hearing this week, Sheriff Aitken told the bearded youth: “The course of driving and potential consequences for the police and the public are extreme to say the very least.
‘Nothing other than a custodial sentence is appropriate’
“The only thing that makes it remotely difficult for me is your age. If you were five years older it would have been a sentence of four or five years, which is towards the maximum I can impose.
“Supervision may make a difference for you. However, the needs of justice are not solely yours.
“Society requires to be protected from those who behave in this fashion so I am forced to the view that nothing other than a custodial sentence is appropriate.”
The teenager will likely only serve a few months in a secure unit for persons under the age of 18 as the sentence was backdated to February 4 – the date of his remand and the fact he will only serve at most half of the headline term.
As he reaches the age of 18 in early summer, it is also unlikely he will serve much if any time at the Polmont Young Offender’s Institution, where he would be transferred on his birthday.
Sheriff Aitken also banned him for four and a half years and ordered the unlicensed driver to sit the extended test of competency before he receives his driving licence.