A Wagga teenager has been told he is lucky to be alive after being caught illegally riding a trail bike before nearly colliding with a car.
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Angus Beavis, 17, of Central Wagga, appeared in Wagga Local Court on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to five charges, including dangerous driving as a first offence.
Beavis also pleaded guilty to driving while never licensed as a first offence, driving an uninsured and unregistered motorbike and riding without a helmet.
The charges all stemmed from an incident on July 7 in which Beavis was riding a green Kawasaki trail bike through the Silvalite Reserve.
According to a police statement of facts, officers began patrols of the Ashmont area at 9.50am after receiving a complaint in relation to a trail bike travelling around Glenfield Park towards Ashmont.
"[Police] could hear the sound of a trail bike in the adjacent Silvalite reserve travelling northbound ... the bike could be heard at high revs as it travelled down the road," the statement said.
Officers saw the bike turn in front of a white Toyota Camry travelling north on Marshall Street, causing the vehicle to lock up its brakes.
Beavis was later found at a Connorton Avenue home and made full admissions to police.
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In court on Wednesday, Magistrate Rebecca Hosking told Beavis he had put himself and others at risk.
"You are lucky to be here today instead of your family and friends being at your funeral," Magistrate Hosking said.
"Driving a motorbike is one of the most dangerous things you can legally do and driving without a helmet is one of the stupidest things you could do."
Beavis' solicitor said her client was unemployed and had no income due to a problem with Centrelink.
"The offence of recklessness is towards the lower end," the solicitor said.
"He knows it was the wrong thing to do, he was going yabbying and didn't mean to drive in front of the other vehicle."
The police prosecutor said she wanted to proceed with a conviction.
"This was in a public area that is very close to the intersection of two major highways and is well known by police as an area for riding unregistered trail bikes," the prosecutor said.
Beavis was sentenced to a six-month conditional release order with conviction.
The 17-year-old was also disqualified from driving for 12 months and fined $880.
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