A 16-year-old Cowra girl who has never held a driver’s licence and drove an unregistered car from Cowra to Queanbeyan has narrowly avoided jail.
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The teenager was given a seven months suspended jail sentence at Cowra Children’s Court on Wednesday, April 18 for taking and driving a Ford fFlcon without consent, driving an unregistered car and driving without a licence.
Facts reveal that the girl took the car from a residence on Macassar Street between 10pm and 11pm on December 22, and drove it from Cowra to Queanbeyan with two passengers.
Concerned family members saw photos on Snapchat of the girl obviously not in Cowra and it was reported to police the following morning.
Following investigations by police, the vehicle was listed as stolen and a broadcast was sent out on Police radio saying “keep a look out for a red Ford vehicle”.
About 9am on December 23 the vehicle was located at a Queanbeyan supermarket.
The youth was spotted with one of the passengers walking the streets about 1.30pm.
Police orgainsed for the two to be conveyed back to Cowra.
About 1pm on February 3 this year the young girl attended Cowra Police Station and was charged with the matters.
At court, solicitor Mr Song, of the Aboriginal Legal Service, said his client “does acknowledge the seriousness of it” and is “trying to obtain a licence”.
“She has demonstrated some effort to make a turn in her life,” Mr Song said.
“She is studying to take the learner’s test.”
It was noted by Magistrate O’Brien that the offences breached a probation order the Cowra Children’s Court had imposed on August 9, 2017 for assaulting a police officer.
“Her short history is littered with serious offending,” Magistrate Michael O’Brien said.
“In two years you’re going to be an adult. This is not the first time you’ve been before a court. You have chosen to break the law not in a minor way, in serious ways, ways that put lives in danger and you knew it, you didn’t care.”
He said it was the young person’s final warning.
“If this happens again I can assure you the consequences won’t be the same as today,” Magistrate O’Brien told the youth.