Elgin arrest for unlicensed Aberdeen teenager who put lives at risk on roads in Inverness and Moray
Police were locked in a 30-hour cat and mouse hunt for an Aberdeen teenager who persistently drove dangerously in Inverness and Moray and endangered the lives of police officers and a member of the public by driving at speed towards them.
The 17-year-old, who was 16 at the time of the offences on March 10 and 11 last year, cannot be named for legal reasons but he admitted at Inverness Sheriff Court three charges of driving dangerously and two of assault to danger of life.
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Sheriff Gary Aitken warned the youth: "Detention is a probability."
He remanded him in custody until March 16 for a background report. He told him after questioning what the teenager, who lives over 100 miles away, was doing careering round the streets of Inverness in the early hours of the morning: "You are clearly not a fit person to be freed."
He added that he "showed a staggering lack of consideration" for himself and those around.
Fiscal depute Emily Hood told the court that the police first were drawn to the attention of the unlicensed driver when he drove at speed through a pedestrian archway in Lombard Street, Inverness at 12.20am on March 10 and refused to stop when signalled by three police constables on foot patrol in the city centre.
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."
The silver Subaru was picked up by CCTV being driven along Academy Street and it was tracked down in Clachnaharry Road by a police vehicle but it sped away. Ms Hood said no pursuit of it was authorised.
The teenager was located at about 11pm that night in the Merkinch area after it struck another vehicle in Kessock Avenue. The occupants of that car followed the teenager. But when it drove up the wrong way along Pumpgate Street, one of the witnesses jumped out to take a photograph of the car, only for the youth to drive towards her and she was pulled away by her partner, Ms Hood went on.
Their vehicle was struck head on, hit a parking sign, and mounted the pavement to drive round the damaged car.
The Subaru was spotted by an off-duty constable half-an-hour later at the Esso garage in the Longman but although one police car that had been dispatched parked in front to stop him driving away, he quickly reversed out of the forecourt and disappeared into the night along the A96.
The court heard it was seen about 75 minutes later in Moray and then again about 2.10am in Keith through which it drove at speed on the opposing carriageway to the danger of others.
Ms Hood told the sheriff that at 2.35am it was seen by two witnesses in the middle of the road as they drove an unclassified road at Whitehill, Keith when the Subaru drove towards them at speed and struck the rear of their vehicle.
"The incident was reported to the police and at 6.40am, police received a call that the vehicle was abandoned in the middle of the road and causing an obstruction on Grampian Road, Elgin,” Ms Hood said. “Police attended and observed the accused in the driver's seat apparently asleep. He was arrested."
