A repeat teenage offender from County Durham has been sent to prison in a bid to stop him falling into a life of crime.

The 16-year-old from County Durham appeared before Magistrates at Newton Aycliffe Youth Court on Friday (February 16) after a previous youth rehabilitation order failed to stop him offending.

The youngster admitted charges of aggregated vehicle taking and dangerous driving at an earlier hearing.

Prosecutor Lesley Burgess told the court: “The circumstances are a BMW vehicle was stolen from the complainant’s drive.”

The £23k BMW was “driving quite slowly” before it went “the wrong way around a roundabout” in September last year.

She said a police officer “looked straight into the care and immediately recognised” the teenager, who the court heard is known to police, in the passenger seat.

The crimes came after he had been under a youth rehab order.

The driver has been dealt with separately, the court was told.

In mitigation lawyer Mr Hammell said: “The last time he was arrested […] dates all the way back to November 4.

“While he hasn’t covered himself in glory the aim is to stop offending and there hasn’t been subsequent offending.

“He knows that you could sentence him to prison today. I have told him as much.”

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Chair of the bench Ian Goodman said: “That was a chance to get help.

“We are here to protect the public – we have taken into account the mitigation, however these are serious offences.”

The teen was handed a detention training order for eight months, will be banned from driving for 16 months and will have to pay £141 in costs and charges when he turns 18.