A teenage boy admitted to stealing a dumper truck and driving the vehicle to smash through several unoccupied houses in Darlington, destroying six.
The 16-year-old individual, whose identity has not been revealed because of legal reasons, stole the JCB dumper truck on Apr. 27. He then drove the vehicle and rammed into several structures on Hurworth Moor.
Teenager Steals Dumper Truck To Smash Through Houses
A few days after the incident, on May 2, he stole another dumper truck that was parked in a housing estate in Middleton St George. But that time, he was caught after police officers arrived at the scene within 15 minutes of him stealing the vehicle.
He was quickly taken into custody and questioned and later charged with criminal damage, driving without insurance, driving otherwise than in accordance with a license, and two counts of aggravated vehicle taking.
Officials said that because of the teenager's "mindless" actions, the potential tenants of the unoccupied houses that were destroyed will have to wait longer before being able to move into their properties, according to AOL.
The suspect in the case later appeared at Newton Aycliffe Magistrate's Court on June 6 where he pleaded guilty to all the offenses he was charged with. Authorities are set to hand down his sentence on June 27.
In a statement, Chief Inspector Jim O'Connor from the Darlington Police said that the teen's "utterly mindless vandalism" caused extensive damage to several new homes in Darlington. He added that the suspect is lucky to not have caused injury to himself or other innocent individuals.
An Official Investigation
O'Connor said that a thorough investigation by officers resulted in the teenage boy pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity. He is hopeful that the suspect uses his time until his sentencing to reflect on his actions and the destruction that he caused, Durham Police reported.
Councillor Matthew Roche also commented on the case, extending his gratitude to Durham Police for bringing the investigation to a swift conclusion. He added that the Neasham Road site is part of their ambitious program to build hundreds of new homes that are very much needed.
He added that the incident also means that there will surely be a delay in completing this particular phase of the building work of the houses. The official said that now that the investigation into the case has already ended, they can finally start undertaking an internal review to figure out what comes next, as per Chronicle Live.
