Youths admit stolen Bentley chase

The three occupants of the Bentley suffered minor injuries, police said.

Three teenagers, two of them girls, have admitted stealing a luxury Bentley before leading police on a high-speed pursuit and crashing into a tree.

Five police officers suffered minor injuries when the three patrols cars they were in crashed during the pursuit on the A35 in Hampshire in April.

At Southampton Youth Court, the girls, 17, and the boy, 15, admitted theft.

Both girls, who were told they were lucky to escape with their lives, received detention training orders.

One of the girls - who admitted taking a vehicle without consent, dangerous driving, driving without a licence and burglary - was told she would be automatically banned for 12 months should she ever apply for a driving licence.

Wall demolished

The boy received a supervision order with a night time curfew.

None of the three can be named for legal reasons, but all are from the New Forest area.

The court was told the teenagers had seen the £80,000 Bentley Continental GT in a driveway in Ringwood and broke into a house stealing a laptop, mobile phones, a wallet, car keys and the Bentley.

The owner was woken by the noise outside and looked out to see his front wall had been demolished and the car gone.

Three police cars were involved in the collision on the A35

The Bentley was fitted with a tracking device enabling police to pursue it, sometimes at speeds of up to 100mph through the New Forest.

Then, at 0235 BST on the A35 near Holmsley, it crashed into a tree and overturned. The teenagers came away with minor injuries.

The first police car was hit by debris, stopped and was hit from behind by the second police car. In trying to avoid the others, the third car ran off the road.

Several officers were affected by whiplash injuries.

Presiding magistrate, Peter Church, said that one of the girls had been driving so dangerously she had put not only her life but the lives of others at risk.