A TEENAGER who drove a stolen Audi S3 Quattro at high speeds through the city, mounting pavements and passing red lights, has been jailed.

Peter Kabiria, of Dynham Place, Oxford, was first spotted on police cameras driving along Abingdon Road at about 3.30pm on August 15 last year.

When police tried to stop the 18-year old in the stolen high performance car he 'panicked' a court heard today, and led police on a high speed chase.

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During the pursuit he mounted pavements, causing pedestrians to dodge the car in panic, and ran a red light, nearly slamming in to a car as he did so.

He eventually drove up Cowley Road before getting out of the car and dashing into Tesco Metro.

Oxford Mail:

Map showing Abingdon Road, Cowley Road and the Tesco Metro. It is not clear what route Kabiria took.

Police chased him on foot and he was caught and arrested before later admitting one count of dangerous driving as well as driving without a licence and without insurance before magistrates.

At his sentencing at Oxford Crown Court today Recorder Rhona Campbell said it was 'entirely by luck and chance that nobody was seriously injured or killed' during the city rampage.

In mitigation at the hearing his defence barrister Gordana Turudija-Austin said that her client was 'very sorry' for what he had done.

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She added that although he did not have a full driving licence he had carried a provisional licence since 2017 but had since failed his theory test twice.

The court also heard that police had not put the theft of the car on Kabiria.

Despite his defence team urging a non-custodial option Recorder Rhona Campbell said that Kabiria had no option but to jail him.

She said: "I have to send you to prison in my judgement because this driving was so dangerous and so bad."

He was jailed for six months and banned from driving for five years.