A TEENAGER crashed a car into a tree after he was followed by police, Worcester Crown Court heard.

Christopher Ryder had given officers a false identity when stopped on Stourport Road, Kidderminster.

They agreed to follow the 18-year-old to his home but he accelerated up to 70mph and drove through a red light before losing control of the Ford Fiesta on a bend, said John Butterfield, prosecuting.

Ryder and three passengers ran off into woods but he was arrested after a search by police dogs.

Judge Michael Mott sentenced Ryder, of Astley Court, Stourport, to six months' detention.

The judge said it was clear he had been driving illegally for years and would not respond to help.

Ryder pleaded guilty to driving while banned, careless driving and uninsured driving He was also disqualified for 12 months.

The defendant had never passed a driving test and had been banned two months earlier.

Antonie Muller, defending, said Ryder, employed by a guttering firm, had "fallen in love" with the motor car but was not intellectually gifted.