KEY POINTS:
New Plymouth police are working on a plan to punish a 10-year-old boy who took his mother's car on a joyride.
Scott Rickit, who had never driven before, rolled the Nissan Cefiro out of the garage so as not to awaken his sleeping mum, before setting off from New Plymouth to drive north along State Highway 3.
His trip came to an end 90km away at Awakino, when he stopped at a service station and the owner wrested the keys off him.
Youth Services Sergeant Andrew Ross of New Plymouth police said he was a "naughty boy" and its Youth Aid section was looking into the appropriate action for dealing with him.
"The potential for disaster was very, very serious," he told the Taranaki Daily News.
He could easily have killed himself or others and the effect of his actions needed to be brought home to him.
"There are different ways we can deal with youth offenders. We will look at it and come up with a suitable plan," Mr Ross said.
One possibility might be to find a mentor for him under the highly successful Big Brother Big Sister programme.
- NZPA
