A TEENAGER was arrested by Ministry of Defence police when his attempt to impress a girl backfired, a court has heard.

Joshua Lewis Harley admitted allowing an uninsured driver with no licence to drive his car when he appeared before magistrates in Hereford.

Prosecutor Ralph Robyns Landricombe said Ministry of Defence police were on mobile patrol on Belmont Road at 7.40pm on October 30 when they came across a Volkswagen stopped with its hazard warning lights on and door open.

The court heard they saw Harley get into the passenger seat, and watched the car as it moved off, juddering and swerving, before stalling.

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The officers stopped and spoke to the driver, who was not displaying L plates and did not have insurance or a licence. She and Harley, who was supervising, were both arrested after she failed a roadside breath test.

In interview, Harley said the driver was a friend who he had allowed to get behind the wheel in Belmont Tesco's car park, wrongly believing it was a private space, but that she had then continued to drive out onto Abbotsmead Road.

Stephen Scully, for Harley, said the 18-year-old was not the first and would probably not be the last to have his efforts to impress a girl backfire.

"He gave her permission to drive, but she then decided to take advantage of that, and drove onto the main road," Mr Scully said.

"Fortunately they were stopped very shortly afterwards. He is usually a sensible young man and did not give her consent to drive on the road."

Magistrates heard Harley, who works part-time at a builders merchant while studying at college, needs his car to take his grandfather to hospital appointments.

Harley, of Elmdale, Ewyas Harold, was disqualified from driving for 21 days and fined a total of £259. He must also pay costs of £135 and a £34 victim surcharge.