Last updated at 13:43, Monday, 30 April 2012

A TEENAGER who was too young to drive crashed her mother’s car into a disabled woman’s vehicle while drunk and has been banned from the roads for 22 months.

The 16-year-old Millom girl, who can’t be named for legal reasons, took the car after drinking with a group of friends at home on April 9.

The girl told friends she was going to get a takeaway before taking the car keys from the back of her door and crashing into a motability vehicle in King Street.

The youngsters had been drinking homemade punch containing an unknown amount of spirits and the girl had finished eight glasses before taking her mother’s car.

Appearing in Furness Youth Court on Friday she pleaded guilty to driving a vehicle over the legal limit, driving without insurance, failing to stop following a road traffic collision, aggravated vehicle taking and driving without a license.

The teen was found with 86 milligrams of alcohol in her breath – more than twice the 35mg limit.

Mrs Leslie Duhig, prosecuting, said: “At about 12.45am police in Millom received a call to King Street, and arrived to find the car embedded in the back of a black Ford Focus.

“Police identified the car and found a mobile phone on the driver’s seat which was later identified as belonging to the girl.”

Mrs Duhig told the court the girl’s mother first became aware after police called at the house and one of the girl’s friends woke her.

Ms Kath McAteer, in mitigation, described the defendant as ‘a good girl’ who had ‘many apologies’ to make to the mother and the owner of her car.

The court heard how the girl would be forced to reconsider her career after being told she could no longer take part in a health and social care course due to her criminal record.

Magistrates handed the girl a six-month referral order and told her it was her previous good behaviour that had spared her more severe punishment.

Mr Bernard Beckett, presiding magistrate, said: “These are very serious offence but they are your first offences.

“It is not an excuse but you were pretty drunk and I’m quite sure if you had been sober you would never have done these offences.”

The girl was ordered to pay £85 costs and disqualified from driving for 22 months and given a six month referral order.

First published at 13:19, Monday, 30 April 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk