A 15-year-old girl has "gone from zero to 60" because she refuses to say no to boyfriends who come calling in stolen luxury vehicles, a prosecutor said Monday.
Crown attorney Liz Pats revealed the dating ritual in youth court Monday, saying the phenomenon is "a plague on this city."
"They think nothing of the fact of getting into these cars with these boys," Pats told provincial court Judge Michel Chartier.
She said that males who steal cars choose certain vehicles in order to impress their girlfriends.
"We're not talking (Dodge) Caravans and (Dodge) Neons -- we're talking (Cadillac) Escalades," Pats said.
The teen was sentenced to 18 months of supervised probation for being a passenger in a stolen SUV that rammed and injured an undercover police officer on April 28 at the corner of College Avenue and Sinclair Street.
Officers shot at the SUV and pursued it for five kilometres. The chase ended on foot in a quiet suburban neighbourhood.
Pats said the alleged driver of the car that hit the officer was the teen's 15-year-old boyfriend, a chronic auto thief.
The girl was released from custody on May 6 and was arrested a day later for being a passenger in a stolen Chevrolet Avalanche parked on Magnus Avenue. The vehicle was allegedly being driven by a 17-year-old male -- known to police as a chronic auto offender who was on the run.
The girl's sentence includes punishment for the charge of possessing property obtained by crime arising from that incident.
Police sources said the teen's sister was also in the vehicle, but fled from the scene. The teen also has an older sister who is also connected to auto thefts.
The 15-year-old girl has no prior criminal record and was not eligible for an in-custody sentence under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
A pre-sentencing report indicates the girl shows little remorse.
"People just came and got me," the teen told a probation officer.
Pats said while the girl has never been accused of stealing a car, her association with auto thieves raises "red flags for what's to come."
Her lawyer, Jackson Mugerwa, said the girl is a "follower" who falls prey to peer-pressure.
"(She's) just a person that hangs around with a bad crowd and does whatever the crowd does," Mugerwa said.
In sentencing the girl, Chartier indicated she was at a crossroads and had a choice to make.
"This isn't fun -- this can't be fun," he told her.
"At the end of the day ... it's your call, your decision. There's never being in too deep to get out," he said.
james.turner@freepress.mb.ca
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