Courts in Moray:- Under-age driver smashed into parked car
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A 16-year-old driver went the wrong way round a roundabout shortly before crashing into a parked car on Forres High Street.
Several videos of the teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared online on the night of the crash.
The footage from June 6 last year showed the teenager and his passenger laughing and joking.
At one point, he was recorded as saying: "Don't post this because this isn't even my car."
At another the passenger kept repeating: "Slow down, slow down".
In reply, the teenager told him to put his seatbelt on.
Elgin Sheriff Court heard that a police patrol came across the immediate aftermath of the crash.
The vehicle being driven by the teenager had its airbag inflated.
Meanwhile the parked Range Rover was badly damaged.
Procurator fiscal Sharon Ralph stated that the teenager was seen striding away with a look on his face that suggested he was in shock.
The defendant managed to disappear from the scene, however the police were able to trace the registered owner of the vehicle he'd been driving.
They subsequently spoke to a 21-year-old man and his mother.
The owner denied giving anyone else permission to drive his car.
Instead he said he'd left it in the car park of Forres' Lidl branch because its radiator was faulty.
Its keys had been hidden under the seat.
The officers provided a description of the person who'd been seen driving the car.
In response, the owner gave them the teenager's name.
The court heard that the supermarket carpark was a place where young people sometimes gather in Forres, and that the two knew each other.
It was also told the teenage defendant's face could briefly be seen during the footage that appeared online.
Defence solicitor Maureen Duffy stated that her client, who's now aged 17, is a hard-working young man.
She added that his own family had already punished him severely.
Sheriff Lindsay Foulis said: "The thrills and temptations of youth can sometimes cause you to make stupid decisions – and that was undoubtedly the case here."
The teenager admitted driving without due care and attention, or a licence and insurance.
He was fined £1250 and banned from taking his test for a year.
