A 13-year-old boy who drove his family’s Volkswagen campervan on a 70mph road in the middle of the night for a joyride in Dorset has been given penalty points for a future licence, a court heard.
The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was spotted by other motorists driving the 2.5-litre silver van on the A35, a busy dual carriageway in Poole. His father told the judge at Poole magistrates court his son would be “washing cars for the next year” to pay off his debt.
When asked by the district judge Orla Austin why he had taken the vehicle, the boy, now 14, said he was “not sure” but admitted it was not the first time he had taken the vehicle.
The boy, who was given six penalty points on his driving licence – which he will not be eligible to receive for another two years – told the court: “I’m really sorry and I won’t do it again.”
The court also ordered his parents to pay £105 in court costs. Charles Nightingale, representing the prosecution, said the incident occurred at 1.50am on 23 August last year.
He said: “Sergeant Chris Brolan was given information by members of the public that there was a juvenile driving a VW campervan on the Upton bypass, westbound.
“It is a national speed limit dual carriageway. [Brolan] observed the vehicle. There was nothing remarkable about the driving at all.”
Nightingale added: “The defendant then pulled into the side of the road without the officer even putting the blue lights on.”
Austin asked the schoolboy: “What were you doing driving that campervan? You haven’t got a proper licence or any insurance, you can’t drive vehicles because you put everybody else at risk.
“I have to put points on your driving record even though you haven’t actually got a licence. So when you apply for a provisional licence there will be six points on it. You are very young and you don’t want to end up before the court again, so I hope this is going to be the end of it.”
The teenager admitted charges of driving with no licence or insurance and was also handed a 12-month conditional discharge on top of the points and costs.
The court was told the points will stay on his licence for three years. Teenagers can apply for a provisional licence 15 and nine months in the UK, allowing them to learn to drive a car at 17.
