A PROVISIONAL licence-holding teenager who took his mum's car for a drive without permission was told he was lucky he didn't kill someone.
Louis Pugh, of St Marys Way in Broughton, appeared at Mold Magistrates Court on Thursday.
The 18-year-old admitted that on June 22 he obstructed police, as well as driving a motor vehicle on Main Road in Broughton otherwise than in accordance with a licence and while uninsured.
Rhian Jackson told the court that officers on patrol at around 1am on the morning of the offence spotted a Toyota Yaris with defective rear lights in a layby.
They pulled over to speak with the driver, who claimed he was '22-year-old Michael Clifford' - but was in fact Pugh, then just 17-years-old.
Checks were carried out on the name given, and the inquiries didn't raise any issues.
But the lies began to unravel when police discovered the vehicle was registered to a female and insurance covered only the female.
Pugh claimed the female the car was registered to was a family member, but that his stepdad had owned the car for a week and he believed it had a trader's insurance policy attached to it.
The claims about the insurance arrangement were disproved and the vehicle was seized.
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At that time Pugh was allowed to go on his way, but a few hours later the vehicle was reported stolen by his mother.
He'd taken it without permission and once police confirmed that to be the case, his mother would not submit a complaint.
Pugh attended Mold Police station with his grandad in July, and admitted having misled the officers by giving false details on the night.
He claimed he'd done it because he was scared and "in shock."
In mitigation, the court heard he'd attended the interview voluntarily and made "full and frank" admissions, followed by his early guilty plea.
He "sincerely regrets" the decisions he made on the night, the court heard, and had only had a provisional licence for four months at the time.
It had been a "huge mistake" and coincided with the anniversary of his father's death.
The court heard Pugh, who is to start an aeronautical engineering apprenticeship at Airbus this month, wanted to put the matter behind him and move on with his life.
Mrs D McKinnell, chair of the Magistrates, labelled the defendant's actions as "reckless," telling him: "A vehicle is one of the biggest weapons we can get hold of.
"We have to think about cause and effect. You had no full licence and no insurance - you are lucky you didn't kill yourself and you could have killed others.
"This has to remain a one-off. You have your whole life ahead of you and a fantastic opportunity at Airbus."
Pugh was ordered to pay a fine of £123 for obstructing police and a fine of £184 for driving uninsured.
No separate penalty was imposed for driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence, but he was ordered to pay £85 costs and a £123 victim surcharge, as well as receiving six points on his licence.
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