A teenager took her mother’s pick-up truck, without permission, to drive with a friend to a 24-hour fast-food takeaway in the early hours of the morning, a court heard.

Brodie Lee Denham, a provisional licence holder, became involved in a high-speed chase with police in which she exceeded speed limits, took roundabouts in the wrong direction and drove straight through a pedestrian crossing at 70-miles per hour.

Durham Crown Court heard that the ten-minute pursuit, on the A688 on March 11, only came to an end when police deployed a stinger tyre-deflating device.

It brought the pick-up to a stop and Denham got out, took a few steps, and was arrested. There was also a passenger in the vehicle.

Read more: Teenage Durham dangerous driver given six months to stay out of trouble

Matthew Hopkins, prosecuting, told the court that Denham immediately admitted taking her mother’s Ford Ranger without permission and said she was only a provisional licence holder.

She claimed she panicked when police, who were alerted to the pick-up following reports of suspicious activity, signalled for her to stop.

Mr Hopkins said the defendant’s mother, who parked the vehicle securely outside the family home at 9pm the previous evening, was awoken at 2.50am the next morning to be told her daughter had been stopped after a police chase.

The court was told the 18-year-old defendant, of Kirkwall Walk, St Helen Auckland, is of previous good character.

She admitted charges of dangerous driving, driving without insurance and not in accordance with the licence at a previous hearing before magistrates.

The magistrates sent the case to the crown court to be sentenced.

Amrit Jandoo, in mitigation, conceded: “It’s a serious matter when police are involved, with blue lights flashing, and they direct vehicles to stop, and they don’t.

“It’s out of complete naivety that in that vehicle she decided to try to outrun the police.”

He said she had only recently, at the time, been learning to drive.

Mr Jandoo said her impending test had been cancelled the previous week, “which again suggests her judgement was not sensible”.

The court heard Denham told the Probation Service that her driving instructor refused to allow her to take the test as it was thought she was not ready to take it.

Read more: County Durham teen gets to keep driving licence after penalty points cut by one

Mr Jandoo said that after the incident she was asked to leave the family home, but she has since been allowed back into be supported by her family.

He added: “Had this been in broad daylight I suggest she might have pulled over, but as it was a clear stretch of road she was familiar with, she decided to try to outrun the police, which was a foolish decision.”

Judge Jo Kidd told Denham: “This driving falls in to the top end of the range of dangerous driving.

“Over ten minutes, in a police chase, you drove like some sort of stunt driver in a car four times the size of the vehicle you were learning to drive in, in circumstances where you had a passenger in the vehicle.

“You have been very lucky neither you, nor your passenger, were seriously injured or killed with this type of driving.

“If you were any older you would be receiving a prison sentence.

“Your behaviour was absolutely disgraceful.

“It merits prison but given your lack of previous offending I feel I can draw back from that.”

Imposing a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, she ordered Denham to complete 200-hours’ unpaid work in the community.

She must also observe a six-month 8pm to 6am home curfew, while she was banned from driving for two years.

Judge Kidd warned the defendant that if she breached any element of the sentence, she would go back before her in court and would be going to prison.

Read next:

Driver in County Durham police chase swerved to avoid bin wagon

Businessman was seen by police driver in County Durham using phone while driving

BMW driven in chase with police from Durham found outside address in Washington

If you want to read more great stories, why not subscribe to your Northern Echo for as little as £1.25 a week. Click here