A TEENAGER who led a police helicopter on a high-speed chase in a £200 Toyota Yaris behaved “foolishly”, a court has heard.

Harry Callaway was suffering with mental health problems and planned to commit suicide when he took his aunt’s car from Bingham Drive in Verwood in the early hours of May 9.

When family realised the 18-year-old was missing, they quickly contacted police.

A pursuit then followed on around 40 roads in East Dorset, Christchurch and Bournemouth, and the NPAS helicopter was drafted in to help.

Callaway, who only holds a provisional licence, was eventually arrested in West Cliff, Bournemouth after a chase lasting “hours”.

On Friday, the defendant, who is of Ringwood’s Wessex Estate, appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court for sentencing. He admitted aggravated vehicle taking and dangerous driving and two connected charges of driving without a licence and driving without insurance.

It was heard that police called off their car chase after fearing members of the public would be hurt as Callaway drove on the wrong side of the road and careered around roundabouts against the flow of traffic.

When he was eventually stopped, Callaway began reversing towards a marked police car. Officers smashed the Toyota’s windscreen to stop him.

Nick Robinson, mitigating, said the defendant, who has acute ADHD, behaved in a “foolish, reckless and dangerous” way.

“He was completely unable to control his impulse,” Mr Robinson said.

“He was not taking his medication. He felt stigmatised as the boy with ADHD. He stopped taking Ritalin. He thought he was ok but clearly he wasn’t.”

Callaway believed his then-girlfriend had cheated on him, the court heard. He went to stay with his aunt, where he “festered, ruminated and drank”, Mr Robinson said.

Judge Brian Forster QC said it was clear “someone could have been killed”.

“I think you have your mum, an aunt, a grandmother,” he said.

“Any of those people could have been crossing the road, or anyone’s aunt, mum or grandmother.

“Do you realise you could have killed somebody?”

Callaway replied: “Looking back on it I do, yeah.”

Judge Forster said the teenager’s driving was both “incredible and shocking”.

“The court has rarely seen a case of this nature. You drove without regard for anyone,” he said.

“You drove in a way that one could only usually see on film or television.”

Callaway was sentenced to a two-year community order with 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

He must also complete 29 days of an accredited programme. He was banned from the roads for two years.

He was banned from the roads for two years. He was not ordered to pay compensation after it was heard he sold his own car for £1,000 to repay his aunt.