Inglewood hoon Kyle James Webb crashed car into bushland

A teen hoon, who refused medical help, ended up with concussion and his passenger with a bloodied nose after a joy ride through the bush in Bendigo.

A Bendigo magistrate has put the brakes on a hoon — warning the teenager his racing, drifting and dangerous driving must end.

Kyle James Webb appeared in Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, and pleaded guilty to all charges including careless and dangerous driving following a crash west of Inglewood in 2020.

The court heard on September 21, 19-year-old Webb was driving in bushland with his 16-year-old mate in passenger seat.

The teen drove up a steep bush track at a high speed, hit a water drain and became airborne.

The car plummeted to the ground and slid for 30m.

The front of the vehicle was destroyed and the airbags were deployed, leaving both teens dazed and injured.

The court heard paramedics treated the pair — the younger teen had a bloody nose.

Webb refused to be taken to hospital, but later suffered from persistent headaches until his mother took him for medical help and he was diagnosed with concussion and whiplash.

Police told the court the teen’s story kept changing.

They said initially he claimed to be a victim of a hit-and-run, but later admitted to inventing the second car.

The court heard in a text message to the younger teen, Webb instructed the 16-year-old to also lie, “or they’ll lock me up”.

This was not the first time Webb was caught being reckless behind the wheel.

The court heard on multiple occasions a silver Holden sedan was spotted hooning around Inglewood in August.

Witnesses reported seeing the sedan driving erratically, speeding and performing a dangerous handbrake turn.

In one incident a man narrowly avoided being hit after the silver sedan turned, at speed, through an intersection, almost colliding with his vehicle.

The court heard on August 14, officers stopped the vehicle and found Webb in the driver’s seat.

The teen told officers the car belonged to his mother, who was not his biological parent.

It was revealed the teen had also been arrested following an argument with his mother where he ripped her shirt and smashed a telephone.

Webb’s lawyer said the 19-year-old suffered from ADHD and fetal alcohol syndrome and was not taking his medication when he assaulted his mother.

The court heard the teenager had unresolved grief following the death of his father in April 2020.

“This might explain some of the poor decisions he has made,” his lawyer said.

“His emotional regulation is not where it should be.”

His lawyer said it was clear his client has been caught in a lie when he tried to deceive emergency services following the crash.

He said Webb was seeing a counsellor for his grief and anger management, with a new mental health plan in place.

The court heard Webb had stopped self-medicating with cannabis and started taking his prescription medication.

Magistrate Russell Kelly disqualified the Inglewood teen’s licence for six months and sentenced him to a 12-month good behaviour bond, with no conviction recorded.

Mr Kelly said it was lucky the crash did not have a more tragic ending.

“Young men write themselves off and kill themselves in their cars everyday,” Mr Kelly said.

He warned the teenager against getting behind the wheel again, saying “the local coppers know and you’ll be caught very quickly”.