MAGISTRATES locked up a teenager whose fascination with cars led him to go on a crime spree.

The 17-year-old Pontypool youth, who cannot be named, pleaded guilty at Cwmbran youth court to two counts of aggravated vehicle taking, one count of taking a vehicle without authority and two related counts of theft.

He also asked for nine other offences to be taken into account. Magistrates sentenced him to youth detention for ten months.

The case comes after we launched our Car Safe campaign, whose key aims include reduction in car crimes and tougher sentences for persistent offenders.

And last month, we reported how magistrates made the decision to allow stiffer sentences to take into account the severity of the car crime problem in Gwent.

At the youth court, prosecutor Lisa James said that in May the teenager was arrested for taking a Nissan Micra without authority, and asked police for six similar offences to be taken into account.

Then in June he was part of a gang that took a Ford Escort without authority. The court was told that the youth stole licence plates from a Sierra in Garndiffaith to put on the car, and then stole £10 of petrol from a garage.The Escort was later found burnt out.

In July he was involved in the taking of a BMW without authority, when CCTV footage showed him in the car with other youths. This was found burnt out at the same spot as the Escort.

The youth denied stealing and burning either vehicle, blaming other youths who he refused to name. But he did admit to being in the cars after they were stolen.

His case last appeared in the youth court in October, when it was deferred for sentence. However, on November 1 he was arrested after being found in possession of a stolen Honda moped. He again admitted to police that he took the vehicle without consent, and asked for three similar offences to be taken into account.

James Campbell, mitigating, said: "His problem is cars. He has a fascination with cars that won't go away."

Chairman of the magistrates bench Anthony Harris said: "You have got quite a considerable criminal history of offences similar to those we are dealing with today.

"You have broken the trust of the court with your criminal activities. You have no regard of, and maybe even contempt for court orders."

The youth was sentenced to the remaining six months detention of a previous custodial sentence, an additional four months for the offences of theft, and four months to run consecutively for aggravated vehicle taking.