Youth crashed stolen car

Press, 30 August 1980, Page 5

Youth crashed stolen car

Half an hour after unlawfully taking a car from business premises in Kilmore Street a young man crashed the vehicle causing ' $4OO worth of damage, Mr Justice Roper was told in the High Court yesterday. Gavin James Thomas, aged 24, unemployed, was sentenced to six months periodic , detention on a charge of unlawfully taking a motor vehicle. He was also put on probation for a year. , , Originallv Thomas had elected trial by jury on the charge but he pleaded guilty after the taking of depositions in the District Court. Mr J. S. Halls, for Thomas, said the accused had found the vehicle in the yard of business premises. The door was open and the keys were under the dashboard. He had been having difficulties with his de facto relationship. Since 1972

when his mother died Thomas had spent three terms in Borstal and had served short terms of imprisonment. His Honour said that it was difficult to know what to do with Thomas. He had been in custody for almost four months on this and other charges. He had two periods of six months periodic detention still current, which he had been unable to start because he had been in prison. “You seem to be deriving some benefit from the fact that these charges are dealt with piecemeal. I think that it is appropriate that you now be given another term of periodic detention that i hopefully you can start,” his i Honour said. Thomas damaged the car belonging to Brian Causer Ladd when he struck the kerb in Patton Street. He then locked the vehicle and walked off.