Two 13-year-old boys crashed London buses on joyride after night-time raid on depot
The diminutive teenagers went on a joyride for around a mile in a D3 single decker bus which they stole from the Henley Road garage in Silvertown, east London.
The chaotic 3am ride, captured by cameras inside the driver's cab, ended when one of the boys crashed the bus into two parked cars and the young thieves fled.
But Stratford youth court heard the boys returned to the same garage less than four hours later to steal a double decker bus.
CCTV captured the teens apparently easily starting up the vehicle, but this time they crashed into the garage perimeter fence instead of getting on to the road.
The incident raised concerning questions about the security of London's transport depots, as well as the ease by which the schoolboys took control of two buses.
'In the climate we live in, it's quite concerning when people are able to walk in and start a bus', said District Judge Talwinder Buttar.
'It doesn't seem that complicated, and two 13-year-old boys were able to do that and drive a bus through London.'
Transport for London said it is working with bus operator Go-Ahead, which runs the Henley Street depot, to ensure security measures are in place.
One of the boys has admitted taking a vehicle without consent, as well as driving without insurance or a licence. He is due to be sentenced at Bexley youth court in October.
The second boy appeared at Stratford youth court on Wednesday, when he pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated vehicle taking, and driving without insurance or a licence.
Prosecutor Elizabeth Ajayi told Wednesday's hearing the teenagers appeared on the footage to be in possession of a small box which allowed them to activate the vehicles.
Through his lawyer, the boy told the court all they had done was pressed the ignition button to start the engine.
'They got into an unmanned singer decker D3 TfL bus, at first it was difficult for them to go into, but then they managed to get in', said Ms Ajayi.
The court heard the boys worked together to get the engine going, before taking the bus on to the public road and taking it in turns to drive.
'Within two minutes of him taking over driving, he crashes into parked cars, and then both of them left. They had driven for about a mile.'
She added: 'Later on the same day, they took a double decker bus. They were able to do that without anybody interfering.
'They got in, and within 20 seconds the bus started to move from the garage. They didn't get too far before crashing into the fence.'
The court heard the boys had become 'inseparable' friends in the lead up to the incident, on June 13.
They have now been banned from seeing each other.
When passing sentence on the second boy, Judge Buttar commented several times that she was struggling to see him, as his slight frame was hidden behind the court desks.
The boy chewed nervously on an elastic band when he was called upon to explain the incident, as he blamed the other boy for leading him into trouble.
'He kept saying he was going to do it', he said, adding of the bus joyride: 'I thought it was fun.'
The boy, who wore comic book-branded clothes for the court hearing, cannot be identified due to his age.
The court heard he has ADHD and police have concerns that he is at risk of exploitation by criminal gangs.
'What a way to come to court', the judge remarked. 'You could have hurt someone, you could have killed someone. I'm surprised you are here without any injuries.'
She added: 'You are too young to be taking your GCSEs, let alone driving a double decker bus.'
She sentenced the boy to a 12-month referral order, to undergo rehabilitation and education sessions under the watch of a team of youth workers.
The boy was also issued with a two-year driving ban, while his mother – sitting behind him in court alongside his father – was ordered to pay £85 costs and a £26 court surcharge.
As they were leaving court, the mother told her son: 'I have to pay for your mistakes', and the boy immediately replied: 'That's your choice.'
When it opened, the Henley Road garage was billed as an 'important hub for the operation and maintenance of electric buses', and it is home to vehicles on routes including the 5, 15, 115, 129, 330, 376, 473, D3, 69, 474, N15, and SL4.
Commenting after this week's court hearing, Rosie Trew, TfL's Head of Bus Service Delivery, said in a statement: "Together with London's bus operators, we take safety and security across our network extremely seriously.
'We are working with the operator of this bus garage, Go-Ahead, to ensure that all appropriate security measures are in place and to prevent an incident such as this occurring again."
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