A 17 year old boy faces a £375 fine after he crashed into a parked car while riding an uninsured quad bike.

The accident, which happened in November last year, left the young boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, with a broken wrist.

In court this week, he admitted to driving without bike insurance, driving without a license, driving without due care and attention and failing to stop after an accident.

The prosecution, led by Kate Morgan Reed, outlined the details of the accident. Ms Morgan-Reed alleged that the boy had borrowed his friend’s bike fully aware that he was not insured or qualified to drive the vehicle on public roads.

The friend is said to have given him permission ride the bike in a private car park, but the subject decided to take it on the main road.

As a consequence, he lost control of the vehicle and smashed into a parked Ford Sierra. The Ford Sierra suffered damage to the bumper along with broken lights and a cracked windscreen.

The boy escaped with minor cuts and bruises and a broken wrist. He fled the scene of the accident to return the bike to his friend, the owner. He then returned to the scene of the accident.

In court his defence, Richard Thomas, said that the accident was “a foolish error on his behalf and he regrets that now.”

He added “It's only because of his honesty having thought about things for 20 minutes and returning to the scene that he was caught and is before the court.”

Magistrate John Meredith summarised, saying of the case “What happened was potentially extremely dangerous - you suffered considerable injuries yourself and damaged someone else's vehicle.

"We trust this is the first and only time you will appear before magistrates and it's taught you a lesson."

In his sentencing, Magistrate John Meredith ordered the young boy to pay £100 to the car owner, £35 court costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

He was also fined £75 for driving without due care and attention, £75 for failing to stop after an accident and £75 for driving without insurance and given six penalty points.

The case demonstrates the importance of having insurance if you are going to take to the public roads. Many young people ride quad bikes without insurance or a licence on private land, believing that they will never have the need to ride them on public roads.

If you own a quad bike it is worth taking out insurance even if you do not intend to drive on public roads, as accidents are common and you may unexpectedly find yourself on a public road with your quad bike.