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| Charity hits out at teen sentence | Charity hits out at teen sentence |
| (31 minutes later) | |
| A children's mental health charity has criticised the courts after a suicidal teenager who tried to kill himself in a car was given four months in detention. | A children's mental health charity has criticised the courts after a suicidal teenager who tried to kill himself in a car was given four months in detention. |
| The criticism follows the sentencing of the 16-year-old Newport boy by Cwmbran Youth Court on Thursday. | The criticism follows the sentencing of the 16-year-old Newport boy by Cwmbran Youth Court on Thursday. |
| He tried to kill himself by crashing a stolen car in a street in Cross Keys. | He tried to kill himself by crashing a stolen car in a street in Cross Keys. |
| But YoungMinds said 95% of young offenders had mental problems and need to be treated as patients rather than prisoners in order to be rehabilitated. | But YoungMinds said 95% of young offenders had mental problems and need to be treated as patients rather than prisoners in order to be rehabilitated. |
| The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, hit eight cars and two walls in his suicide attempt last March and was told by magistrates that they would have failed if they did not impose a custodial sentence on him. | The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, hit eight cars and two walls in his suicide attempt last March and was told by magistrates that they would have failed if they did not impose a custodial sentence on him. |
| He had been driving a stolen Lexus RX 4x4 at more than 100mph on his trail of destruction along the town's Risca Road, which caused £50,000 worth of damage, and told the court: "I wanted to kill myself." Locking children up is not the answer to youth crime YoungMinds chief executive Sarah Brennan | He had been driving a stolen Lexus RX 4x4 at more than 100mph on his trail of destruction along the town's Risca Road, which caused £50,000 worth of damage, and told the court: "I wanted to kill myself." Locking children up is not the answer to youth crime YoungMinds chief executive Sarah Brennan |
| The court also heard how he was "extremely vulnerable" but making "excelling progress" under psychiatric care, including prescription medication, and was asked to distinguish his case from that of a "boy racer" as his was very different. | |
| The boy and his father both broke down before the court as it heard of his vulnerable nature before the teenager was handcuffed and taken away by security officers. | The boy and his father both broke down before the court as it heard of his vulnerable nature before the teenager was handcuffed and taken away by security officers. |
| 'Recovery' | 'Recovery' |
| Upon hearing of the boy's four-month sentence, YoungMinds spoke out about putting young people with mental health problems in detention saying it was an indictment on the current state of our society. | Upon hearing of the boy's four-month sentence, YoungMinds spoke out about putting young people with mental health problems in detention saying it was an indictment on the current state of our society. |
| The charity's chief executive Sarah Brennan said: "Locking children up is not the answer to youth crime. | The charity's chief executive Sarah Brennan said: "Locking children up is not the answer to youth crime. |
| "Young people, especially those with mental health problems, need to be provided with the right assistance to ensure they get better. | "Young people, especially those with mental health problems, need to be provided with the right assistance to ensure they get better. |
| "Whilst there has been some investment in mental health services in the youth justice system, there needs to be support for parents and their children from the whole spectrum of children's services. | "Whilst there has been some investment in mental health services in the youth justice system, there needs to be support for parents and their children from the whole spectrum of children's services. |
| "When a child does enter the youth justice system, all staff need be trained and aware of mental health problems to help recovery and reduce offending in the long term." | "When a child does enter the youth justice system, all staff need be trained and aware of mental health problems to help recovery and reduce offending in the long term." |
| Lack of investment | Lack of investment |
| The charity added how a recent Healthcare Commission and HM Inspectorate of Probation report had shown that in a sample of 50 youth offending teams, one third did not have a mental health worker. | |
| It said youth offending teams had failed to meet any of their targets to improve the availability of children and adolescent mental health services and instead urged the government to invest in this area. | It said youth offending teams had failed to meet any of their targets to improve the availability of children and adolescent mental health services and instead urged the government to invest in this area. |
| It said the current situation was a result of the £2.9bn of resources which had been ploughed into providing custody places for children over the past 10 years. | |
| This had ensured that England and Wales had the highest number of children in prison in western Europe with youth crime prevention schemes, treatment and early intervention programmes falling off the agenda. | |
| During his hearing the teenager admitted stealing the car, drink driving, dangerous driving, and having no insurance or a licence. | During his hearing the teenager admitted stealing the car, drink driving, dangerous driving, and having no insurance or a licence. |
| On top of his four-month sentence, he was also banned from driving for three years for dangerous driving. No separate penalties were imposed for the other charges. | On top of his four-month sentence, he was also banned from driving for three years for dangerous driving. No separate penalties were imposed for the other charges. |