A YOUTH who rammed a police car at least three times in a bid to evade arrest was today (wed) behind bars.

The 17-year-old teenager's crime spree began last September and included a late-night gang attack on young people in Clifton, two night-time shop burglaries and two motor thefts before the 4.30am collisions in Haxby, prosecutor David Garnett told York Youth Court.

One of the shop burglaries was carried out shortly after the youth court put him under a curfew order as a punishment for other offences.

His solicitor John Howard said the youth, who was remanded in custody on Friday (june 14), wanted justices to send him down immediately and not delay sentence.

They kept him locked him up, but adjourned his case for a pre-sentence report after their clerk Ellen Samuels said they had to do so by law.

The youth, from north York, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking, dangerous driving and driving whilst disqualified and without insurance on Thursday (jun 13), two other charges of driving without insurance committed in October, affray, two shop burglaries, attempted theft of a car in Crombie Avenue on September 23, and theft of a car wheel on May 18 in Leeman Road.

Mr Garnett said that in the early hours of Thursday (june 13), the youth and an accomplice broke into Dillon's on The Avenue, Haxby, and stole cigarettes and tobacco.

But as they tried to make their getaway, in a Fiesta which had been stolen less than 12 hours earlier, police arrived by car, alerted by a resident.

"The Fiesta was seemingly deliberately driven at the car, crashing into it at least three times," said Mr Garnett.

The youth's passenger, bleeding, ran off, but the driver was arrested still in the car.

On September 14, the youth was one of four youths who attacked a group walking along The Avenue at 2.15am. He hit two victims on the head with a bottle and one needed hospital treatment for head injuries.

At 1.45am on December 28, the youth and an accomplice smashed their way into a sports shop and stole clothing worth £817. He was arrested nearby and the loot was recovered.

Updated: 10:10 Wednesday, June 19, 2002