A TEENAGER who nicked his brother’s car and went on a reckless joyride through Clydebank while banned from the roads ended up crashing into a parked vehicle.

Josh Booth was spared time behind bars for his behaviour – but got a comprehensive dressing-down in court last week when it emerged he had failed to comply with his community-based punishment.

Booth, of Bute Place in Old Kilpatrick, was handed a community payback order (CPO) and told to carry out unpaid work as a punishment for stealing his brother’s car, driving dangerously through Clydebank while disqualified, and smashing into another vehicle.

On February 15 this year the teenager – who turns 18 today (Wednesday) and so can legally be identified as a criminal for the first time – took a vehicle from his home address without the consent of the owner.

Booth drove the car without insurance and while disqualified on various roads and other public places, including Bute Place, Duntocher Road, Parkhall and elsewhere in the town.

He was also charged with driving dangerously and at excessive speed on the opposing carriageway, failing to keep proper control of the car, and colliding with a parked vehicle, causing extensive damage to both.

Booth appeared at Dumbarton Sheriff Court on Friday for a review of his CPO – and had a strip torn off him by Sheriff John Hamilton after the judge was told Booth had failed to do what was required of him.

“Do you think you are doing well with this order?” the sheriff asked.

“You are not doing well, you are doing badly. Tell me why you are not doing this. Are you stupid?”

Booth replied: “I have no excuses, sir.”

Sheriff Hamilton said: “What goes through your mind when you decide not to go to unpaid work and not to answer the phone?

“Do you just think ‘I don’t have to bother with this, it’s all just a big laugh’?

“It looks like you have chosen to disrespect this order and not comply with this.

“You think the rules don’t apply to you.

“I am treating you like a young boy. You’re 17, but you are acting like a 12-year-old. You don’t think ‘this is wrong and there might be consequences’.

“If you carry on failing with this order like you have been, what do you think the consequences are?”

Booth was then asked by the sheriff if he wanted to be locked up in the Polmont young offenders’ institution.

“I can send you [there] if you want,” the sheriff continued.

“Do you want to mix with the bams and neds and nutters? Imagine sitting on your first night in there. Have you thought about that?

“Not only are you not particularly smart, you don’t look like a hard man.

“Are you good at fighting? Are you not scared of going to jail? I would be.

“The difficulty is, if you carry on like this, I will have no option.

“I suspect you might throw up if I sent you to jail. And for certain you would cry, because everybody cries when they go to jail.”

A further review of the community payback order was set for October.

Sheriff Hamilton said: “You are going to come back in a month’s time and there is going to be a glowing report with a gold star on it.

“You have got one month to start behaving yourself – and if you don’t do what you are told, and if you don’t grow up, you will be going to jail.”