Police stunned after stopping BMW towing caravan and finding driver aged 11

08 March 2024 , 16:59

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North Yorkshire Police found a 11-year-old boy driving the suspected stolen caravan (Image: North Yorkshire Police / SWNS)

Police who stopped a car towing a suspected stolen caravan were shocked when they discovered the driver was an 11-year-old boy.

Officers from North Yorkshire Police stopped the BMW X5 on the M1 near the Hook Moor Interchange near Garforth, West Yorkshire on Thursday. When they strolled to the window of the car they were shocked to find a pint-sized schoolboy in the driver’s seat.

A spokesperson for the force said they had received a call saying a caravan had been stolen from a holiday site near Thirsk and was being towed away by a black BMW.

They said: "We were able to track the BMW, which was also using cloned registration plates, travelling south on the A1. “Forty five minutes after the caravan was reported stolen, we stopped the vehicle on the M1 after it left the A1 at Hook Moor Interchange near Garforth. Nothing prepared us for finding the schoolboy sat at the wheel. A search of the car also revealed equipment typically used by suspects to carry out thefts and a selection of vehicle registration plates."

A boy was arrested on suspicion of a number of offences including theft, burglary, going equipped for theft, and motoring offences including dangerous driving. He was questioned and has been released on conditional police bail to allow further enquiries to be carried out.

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The North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said no-one was injured during the incident. They added: "Thanks to the quick work of our skilled roads policing officers, our control room and intelligence team working in the background, the rightful owners have been updated their caravan has been found."

Antony Clements-Thrower