A 14-year-old Wodonga girl's entrenched addiction to the illicit drug methamphetamine led to her abusing and swearing at police when they tried to caution her on several driving offences.
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The girl's mother took her to Albury police station to own up to driving a stolen car a few hours' earlier in North Albury.
But within just a few minutes, Albury Children's Court has heard, the teenager turned hostile and stormed out of the building.
Magistrate Sally McLaughlin asked why the girl had decided against the caution, and in such a hostile manner - given this meant the charges were now before the court.
Defence lawyer Piers Blomfield said it was because of the girl's strong addiction to methamphetamine, making her unable to act in a level-headed way.
He said the girl was about to be admitted to a drug rehabilitation centre in the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy.
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Ms McLaughlin adjourned the charges to a later date so she could begin that program.
"Our community is sad to hear that at such a young age that you are using such a destructive drug," she said.
Ms McLaughlin said if she had been in the courtroom earlier she would have seen, in the cases being determined, why methamphetamine was so dangerous.
"People who are taking these drugs do things that put themselves and people in the community at grave risk, as happened on the 19th of October (with you)," she said.
The girl pleaded guilty to driving a conveyance taken without consent of owner, drive never licensed and negligent driving.
Ms McLaughlin was told how a Mazda CX-9 was stolen between October 17 and 18.
Police were patrolling the North Albury area on October 19 just before 9.30am when they saw the Mazda, without a front number plate, heading south on Burrows Road.
"The young person drove onto the wrong side of the road, and on Ryan Road ... drove over the concrete median divider."
They stopped following the Mazda, which was set on fire by someone else just after 10am.
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