Teenager in trouble again ordered to do community work

Ashby Leigh Woolcock-McRae pleaded guilty in the Warrnambool Magistrates Court to about a dozen charges including three counts of reckless conduct endangering life.

Magistrate Mark Stratmann said the offending was serious and involved the accused being involved in foolish behaviour in cars.

He said if Woolcock-McRae was five years older he would be going straight to jail.

The magistrate said vehicles were huge pieces of metal, while people were flesh and blood and pretty fragile.

"You put people's lives in danger. When you rammed the other vehicle you put people at risk," he said.

"You are old enough to know better, but I hear you are doing good things."

Woolcock-McRae was banned from driving for 12 months, has to do a safe driving course before getting his licence back, was convicted and fined $950 and placed on another CCO with the condition he do 200 hours of community work.

The magistrate warned Woolcock-McRae if he did not comply with the CCO he could expect to be jailed.

The court heard that the defendant had nine unexplained absences during his current CCO, which was imposed for assault-related charges after 56 days in custody.

He also failed to attend for urine drug screens and started but has so far failed to complete the Sliding Doors drug program.

Police said that on January 3 this year Woolcock-McRae went to Quarry Road in Portland with the spare key to a car he previously owned.

He got in the blue Holden Commodore, which was unregistered and in an unsafe condition with no tread on the tyres, a cracked windscreen and the differential had been welded.

Woolcock-McRae was approached by three men, one who also previously owned the car, he reversed and then tried to flee.

One man had to leap out of the way and Woolcock-McRae rammed the other vehicle before leaving the scene of the collision.

He admitted during a police interview he could have killed someone and the other three men were badly shaken.

Lawyer Matt Pitkin said his client had onsold the car to a friend, he did burnouts in it but had to change a tyre just before the other men pulled up.

"He thought he would be attacked, tried to drive around the other vehicle but collided," he said.

"There's nothing like a couple of nights in custody to remind you of the seriousness of your offending," he said, referring to the three nights Woolcock-McRae spent on remand.

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