A SIXTEEN-year-old boy led police on a high-speed pursuit as he sped away in a car that belonged to his professional care worker, a court heard.

The 18-minute pursuit on New Year's Eve - much of it on the A596 in west Cumbria - was described at Carlisle Crown Court as the youth appealed against the ten-month detention and training order imposed for dangerous driving.

The boy had earlier admitted dangerous driving, failing to stop when required to by the police, and driving while disqualified. 

His barrister said there was “unusual and very disturbing” mitigation, including an admission from the teenager's carer that she previously allowed him to use the car. The judge accepted this may have made the youth believe he had a “green light” to commit the offences.

Prosecutor Kim Whittlestone outlined the facts.

She the boy was seen at the wheel of the car on the A596 at 7.40pm, the car’s owner, the boy’s carer, having earlier reported the car was missing. When the boy noticed the police car, he sped away.

“The police chase lasted for approximately 18 minutes,” said Miss Whittlestone.

The dangerous driving incorporated a route that involved several residential roads in the Workington area, including Moss Bay Road, Westfield Drive, Newlands Lane, as well as on the A596, the A595, and the B5306.

With it being New Year’s Eve, the roads were relatively busy, and the teenager drove through residential areas of Workington and in areas where the speed limit was 50mph the car reached a speed of up to 93mph, the court heard.

“It was only through luck and the forward thinking of other road users that there was not a collision,” continued Miss Whittlestone. At a roundabout, the defendant drove in the wrong direction, forcing other drivers to take evasive action.

“The defendant appeared determined to get away,” said Miss Whittlestone.

The car was stopped after officers pulled in front of him, causing damage to the car, which lost a front wheel. The teenager already has 35 offences on his record, including burglary, robbery, and taking a car without consent.

Brendan Burke, for the boy, said that at the time of the offence the boy was being looked after in an “unregulated care home.”

The barrister said: “The children’s commissioner had given a warning about the risk… that can exist in that sector and I don’t say that lightly because the lead shift care worker in the organisation where he was cared for was routinely allowing him to use her car.”

The teenager had made that disclosure to his solicitor but the claim had been treated “with incredulity.” Certain other allegations were also made, the court heard.

“She has admitted putting her car at his disposal,” continued Mr Burke, adding that the care provider has now dismissed the woman.

Judge Michael Fanning said the principle of the youth justice system was where possible to prevent further offending and to prioritise the welfare of the child.

He told the youth: “You have had a difficult life; we know that.

"We also know that the latest offences were committed in circumstances where it would appear there was some green light given to you because you had previously been allowed to use that car.

“Perhaps you thought you could use it on this occasion.”

But the defendant’s dangerous driving was part of a pattern of car-related offending, albeit over a very short period, said the judge, pointing out that he and the magistrate sitting on the case understood why the boy was locked up.

Judge Fanning referred to the “real progress” the teenager had made during his detention and said that overturning the ten-month sentence would in any case make a difference to the boy’s detention of only weeks.

Commenting that the court must also protect the public, Judge Fanning said completing the detention and training offered the best protection. As the case ended, the teenager commented from the dock: “I’m being punished for what she’s done.”

The teenager, whose sentence also included a 30-month driving ban, can not be named for legal reasons.