The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was parked on Green Street during the early hours of 6 September when he sped off after police approached – with an officer’s hand still in his door handle.
With their blue lights activated, officers pursued the car through the Tunnel, onto the Albert Pier – on the wrong side of the road past a traffic island – before the vehicles entered Victoria Avenue and reached speeds of 70mph. The defendant weaved his car from side to side to stop the police vehicle from getting alongside him.
After leaving the dual carriageway, the defendant overtook a vehicle that was waiting at temporary traffic lights before travelling through St Aubin at what officers described as a speed that was ‘faster than was safe’.
The car then travelled up Mont Les Vaux and down Mont Sohier into St Brelade’s Bay where he overtook a vehicle travelling in the same direction. Officers then deemed that the pursuit was too dangerous to continue and stopped following the car.
According to a Royal Court judgment, the driver was later arrested and charged with dangerous driving, driving without insurance, driving outside the terms of his provisional licence and failing to notify authorities that the owner of the car had changed.
It was also found that the defendant had breached a probation order and 180-hour community service order imposed by the Youth Court for three counts of breaking and entering into houses and one of possession of herbal cannabis.
In delivering the sentence of the Royal Court the Bailiff, Timothy Le Cocq, told the teenager that he would be spared custody but he was unlikely to be given another chance if he offended again.
‘I want you to listen to me very carefully. If a police officer had been injured, and that police officer could easily have been injured very badly by reason of your stupidity, you would be looking at a sentence of youth detention now. You would be looking at being taken out of this dock into custody and taken to prison. Do you understand me?
‘You are at a crossroads, it seems to us, and you have choices to make, mature grown up choices. You will not, very probably, be offered another chance. You should take this as being your last chance to get it right. You are showing a worrying sign of disregard for the law and disregard for the life and interests of your fellow citizens.’
The defendant was also banned from driving for two years. Combining his youth court sentence he must now complete a total of 205 hours of community service.
Jurats Collette Crill and Jane Ronge were also sitting.
