The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared before Magistrate Howard Hamilton in Dubbo Local Court on charges of being carried in conveyance without consent of owner, four counts of obtaining money by deception, two counts of aggravated break and enter and a separate matter involving assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The ride stretched from Mittagong in the southern highlands of NSW through to Forbes, out to Hay and ended in Victoria.

The youth had previously pleaded guilty to the charges and appeared yesterday for sentencing, with Magistrate Hamilton enforcing a suspended eight-month control order for the break and enter charges, and 12 months of probation with a good behaviour bond for the other charges.

An apprehended violence order was also placed on him in relation to the assault charge.

The boy’s defence solicitor told the court the offender had been brought up in a broken home and lived a transient lifestyle, and at the time of the offences was using alcohol, cannabis and other drugs.

Facts tendered to the court stated that in the early hours of January 17, 2009, the youth broke into a house in Willow Vale before he and a co-accused stole the family’s Ford Escort. They then broke into a shop attached to the Mittagong Caravan Park where approximately $1500 worth of cigarettes and tobacco products were stolen.

Later that morning $40.37 worth of fuel was stolen from a Caltex service station at Mittagong while that night, a further $46.06 worth of petrol was not paid for at a service station at Forbes.

The following morning close to $100 worth of petrol was taken from a general store in Hay, with the youth attempting to pay for it with the victim’s credit card.

Police patrols noticed the vehicle four times between Forbes and Rankin Springs and two police pursuits were terminated before the pair entered Victoria.

The whole time the youth was the passenger in the vehicle and the court heard his co-accused has since died due to heart and kidney problems.

On July 20 of last year, the youth presented to Dubbo Police Station in relation to the matters.

In sentencing the youth, Magistrate Hamilton made it clear what would happen should he re-offend.

“If you commit any offence during the time of your parole and control order, you will come back to be re-sentenced,” he said.

“And you won’t come back wondering what will happen because you will be going into detention.”