Suspended jail term for hit and run underage driver

A teenager learnt his lesson when what was meant to be a joyride with his father's car ended with him being convicted of involuntarily causing permanent injuries to a motorcyclist in a traffic accident two years ago.

The boy, who was 16 at the time of the accident, was given a five-month jail term suspended for a year for injuring motorcyclist Edward Calleja when he failed to obey a stop sign in Gharghur on February 21, 2004.

Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani also found the boy guilty of failing to stop and give his particulars to the police and driving without a licence or insurance cover.

In her judgement, the magistrate noted that she was particularly perturbed at how the boy, who panicked after the accident because he had taken his father's car without permission, failed to recognise the consequences of leaving an injured motorcyclist unattended.

Magistrate Padovani heard that the police had been informed that there had been an accident in Republic Avenue, Gharghur. When officers arrived on site they saw that Mr Calleja was injured and his motorcycle damaged. People in the area gave the police the registration number of the car that had hit the motorcycle and then drove off.

This lead the police to the house of the teenager's father and there it resulted that the boy had taken the vehicle for a spin without permission.

The boy told the police that, after he had washed the car, he decided to go for a drive and pick up his friend. As he was driving through Vendome Street that leads into Republic Avenue, he stopped at a stop sign. When he saw that the road was clear he drove out but then, "all of a sudden", the motorcycle drove in front of him "at an enormous speed" and lost control without hitting his car.

But Mr Calleja said that as he was driving through the avenue at a moderate speed a car suddenly drove out of a side road, ignoring a stop sign and he collided with the car.

On evaluating the evidence, the magistrate ruled that Mr Calleja's version was more credible. She heard how any outstanding damages between Mr Calleja and the boy had been settled and that Mr Calleja had renounced to any charges that could be renounced.

She noted that the boy had endangered Mr Calleja's life when he failed to stop to help him after the accident.

After taking note of the circumstances of the case, the boy's inexperience in life and his age she handed down a suspended jail term and banned him from driving for two years.

The name of the boy is not being published because he was a minor at the time of the commission of the crime.

Police Inspector Kevin Farrugia prosecuted.