Derbyshire teens plead guilty after stealing car and speeding dangerously – posing ‘significant risk’ to public

A Volkswagen Passat that was parked on the driveway of a house in Copes Way, Derby, was reported stolen on Sunday, February 12.

Later that same day the car was seen driving through the area at high speed, across pavements and the Stoney Flats open space – with a balaclava-wearing teenager spotted behind the wheel.

The car was eventually dumped in a nearby car park and officers from the Neighbourhood Acquisitive Crime Team (NACT), along with colleagues from the armed response unit, local officers and dog units, carried out a search of the area.

Two teenagers were located nearby and arrested on suspicion of aggravated vehicle taking and dangerous driving.

A 16-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy, both from Derby, were subsequently charged with both offences.

The teenagers, who cannot be named for legal reasons, both appeared at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court on February 17 and pleaded guilty to all the offences.

They were each given a 12-month referral order, banned from driving for 12 months until they have taken an extended test, and ordered to pay a £26 surcharge.

Detective Sergeant Louise Munday, from the Neighbourhood Acquisitive Crime Team, said: “The NACT is a new unit dedicated to tackling particular acquisitive crime types such as burglaries and robberies.

“Incidents such as this show how we can follow leads quickly in order to arrest offenders and retrieve stolen property in a timely and efficient manner.”

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DS Munday added that her unit will continue to take action against these kinds of criminals – who posed a serious risk to the public.

“We recognise that this type of crime is very personal and intrusive to victims. It is not acceptable for people to take property that does not belong to them.

“Despite the young age of the offenders in this incident, they have placed not only themselves but also other members of the public at significant risk. We will continue to deal with these offences as robustly as we can.”