A serial car criminal has been locked up for more than two years for carrying out a string of new offences – including driving a stolen motor dangerously around Aberdeen.
Jordan Chesser narrowly avoided being detained last year after he was caught racing a stolen Range Rover Sport around the city in the company of notorious car thief Liam Smith.
But this morning the gang member was sentenced to a total of 27 months in a young offenders institution having previously admitted carrying out 14 new offences.
The 17-year-old had originally been facing a total of 27 new offences but the Crown accepted his not guilty pleas to 13 of them.
The spree started on January 15 last year when the teenager stole £60 worth of diesel from the BP garage on King Street in the city.
Less than month later he was caught with stolen cars on three occasions.
Chesser admitted resetting a red Seat Ibiza on February 5 last year, a red Vauxhall Corsa Energy between February 6 and 7, and an aluminium Toyota Yaris on February 9.
He further admitted driving the Yaris dangerously on February 9 when he was not old enough to hold a licence.
He drove down Clifton Road, without any insurance, and overtook a police car at speeds of more than 70 mph.
The court heard that during the incident Chesser swerved across the carriageway, narrowly avoiding a collision with a car travelling in the opposite direction.
Fiscal depute Elaine Ward previously told the court the officers inside the police car were able to identify Chesser through the window of the stolen vehicle, however he was soon lost from sight as he sped away from them.
Police later found Chesser, who describes himself as the thief of the north-east on his social media account, hiding under a bed at his house at 10 Ashgrove Gardens.
He lashed out at the arresting officers and acted in a threatening and abusive manner by repeatedly making homophobic remarks towards them.
Chesser also admitted allowing himself to be carried in a stolen car, failing to identify the driver of a car to police officers, driving a car without the owner’s consent and without a licence or insurance, as well as breaching a curfew he had been placed under.
Sheriff William Summers said that due to the “outrageous catalogue of offending” there was no alternative than to send him to detention.
He said:”It is with the greatest good fortune that no one was hurt.”
Chesser was also disqualified from driving for three years and has been ordered to resit the extended driving test.