Jake Yates sentenced to four years in prison after stealing car with toddler, dumping him at the side of the road

A MOTHER has told of her horror after a paranoid, drug addicted teenager stole her car - with her two-year-old boy in the back.

“In this case, no amount of additional care on the part of the mother could have prevented you from offending as you did,” Chief Justice Trevor Riley told Yates. Picture: Facebook

A YOUNG mother described it as “the darkest moment” of her life.

Her two-year-old boy was strapped into the back seat of her car when a paranoid, drug addicted teenager jumped in and drove off furiously.

Jake Yates, 19, later dumped the toddler at the side of the road. Yates was sentenced in the NT Supreme Court to four years in prison yesterday, with a non-parole period of three years.

Chief Justice Trevor Riley said during sentencing the incident was “the subject of nightmares for parents”.

The court heard Yates was in the grips of a “drug-induced psychosis” when he commited the crime. Picture: Facebook

“Actions such as yours create fear not only for the immediate family, but for other families in the community who feel concern and disquiet that something of this kind might happen to them or someone they know,” Mr Riley said.

“In this case, no amount of additional care on the part of the mother could have prevented you from offending as you did. She did nothing wrong but nevertheless, she has suffered the devastating experience of her child being removed from her care and placed in danger.”

The court heard Yates drove from Tiwi to Nakara after stealing the car on the morning of May 1, 2014., He stopped the vehicle, undid the toddler’s seat belt and placed him, crying, on the side of the road.

“The child wandered from the side of the road to the middle of the road, crying and calling out for his mother,” Mr Riley said.

Earlier, the mother “bravely” attempted to hold onto the driver’s door of the car as Yates drove away. Her older boy, 5, suffered bruising but managed to climb out of the car.

The woman gave the court a victim impact statement that said her children continue to experience upset and anxiety from the incident.

“It sets out in powerful terms the adverse effect your conduct has had upon the life of herself and her family,” Mr Riley said.

“She talks of the fear, horror and desperation she felt when you took control of the car. She felt dread and despair as she watched the car drive off with her two year old child inside.

“In this case, no amount of additional care on the part of the mother could have prevented you from offending as you did,” Chief Justice Trevor Riley told Yates. Picture: Facebook

“The sense of security of the family has been shattered. The mother has difficulty controlling her

emotions and has feelings of guilt, notwithstanding that it is plain that there is nothing more she could have done to prevent your outrageous conduct.

“She continues to receive the assistance of a psychologist.”

The court heard Yates was in the grips of a “drug-induced psychosis”. He started using drugs at age 14 and was using the drug ice intermittently by the time he was 17.