An 18-year-old from Point has been fined $8,000 after taking his father’s unlicensed vehicle and crashing it while driving without a licence.

Jayson Jarvis appeared before the Magistrate’s Court after police said he was speeding along Valley Road near Valley Church with a female passenger when he lost control of the vehicle. The car reportedly struck an oncoming SUV before crashing into a tree.

The passenger sustained minor injuries in the collision.

Investigators told the court that Jarvis did not have a driver’s licence and had taken the vehicle without his father’s knowledge. Police also confirmed that the vehicle was unlicensed and uninsured at the time of the crash.

Jarvis pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving without a driver’s licence, driving an unlicensed vehicle, and driving without insurance.

Chief Magistrate Ngaio Emanuel ordered Jarvis to pay the fines within one year or face imprisonment.