Teen pinched sister's car then totalled it, slamming into four other cars in Grangemouth

Mark Marshall (19) appeared at Falkirk Sheriff Court on Thursday having admitted taking the car in Islay Court, Grangemouth on January 20 last year.

Katie Cunningham, procurator fiscal depute, said: “The owner of the car is the accused’s sister and on the evening of January 19 she had some friends round and that included the accused.

"Everyone had gone to bed in the early hours of the next day. Several neighbours had been awoken by the sound of car crashes outside.”

It was stated the owners of the four vehicles Marshall had driven into and damaged had to pay £200, £150, £100 and £100 excess on their car insurance due to his actions and his sister’s car was a complete write off.

"Police were contacted,” said the procurator fiscal depute. “The witnesses recognised the car as belonging to the accused’s sister. She was spoken to and said she hadn’t been drivign the car and hadn’t given permission to anyone else to drive it.”

The court heard Marshall came from a “dystopian” family, where every member had convictions or been prosecuted by the courts at some point and he had spent a large portion of his youth in the care system.

Sheriff Richard MacFarlane placed Marshall, Glenochar Farm, Elvanfoot, Biggar, on a supervised community payback order for 18 months with the condition he complete 120 hours unpaid work within 12 months and banned him from driving for eight months.