Teens kicked out for joyride
TWO teenagers who went for a joyride in a car stolen from one of their parents were kicked out of home after rolling the car in a paddock north of Cairns.
Parramatta Park pair Harley Paul Willett and Lisa Jane Nagano, both 17, appeared in Cairns Magistrates Court yesterday on a series of driving offences.
Willett, who was behind the wheel when the car flipped at Trinity Park, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and unlawful use of a motor vehicle.
His girlfriend Nagano pleaded guilty to unlicensed driving and unlawful use of a motor vehicle after she helped herself to the keys of her step-father’s car.
Prosecutor Simon Bright told Cairns Magistrates' Court that Nagano took the keys to the car while her parents were in Melbourne. She picked up two friends from Cairns High School and Trinity Beach, drove to McDonald's at Smithfield and then drove to Trinity Park where she handed control to her boyfriend.
Willett lost control after a series of doughnuts on a gravel road.
The car left the road and flipped, coming to rest on its side. Two of the teens were taken to Cairns Base Hospital by ambulance.
Nagano dislocated her elbow and appeared in court with her left arm in a sling. Willett appeared with his right arm in a cast.
The court heard that the car was written off in the crash.
Defence solicitor Kate Power said after the accident, Nagano was kicked out of the family home where the pair were living.
Both were taken to the towing yard the next day and were shocked at the damage to the car.
Magistrate Allan Comans said the behaviour was out of character.
"People do make mistakes and the real pity is when people don’t learn. But I think you are going to learn a lot from it about how lucky you were to survive," he said.
Willett was disqualified for six months and fined $1200. Nagano was fined $500.
Neither had convictions recorded.
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