A MAGISTRATE has allowed a driver who was caught performing burnouts in Quarry Hill to keep his licence.
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The 20-year-old man appeared in the Bendigo Magistrates' Court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to a charge of careless driving.
The court heard on the morning of June 3 this year, a witness saw the man performing a burnout near the roundabout at the intersection of Carpenter and Houston streets in Quarry Hill. '
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The witness heard the ute's engine revving and saw the tyres lose traction for about five seconds before the 20-year-old drove away.
The bystander contacted police with the man's registration number.
When officers interviewed the 20-year-old, he made full admissions to the offending and said he was just being "young and stupid".
The man, who represented himself in court, told the magistrate he had been working in machinery since August and he needed his licence to keep his job.
The 20-year-old provided two letters of reference to the court from his employer.
Magistrate Russell Kelly said offending like burnouts really annoyed the "bejesus" out of everyone in the community.
Mr Kelly said he often heard "idiots" performing burnouts near his home and wanted to take their licences away forever.
"You're not in a good spot to be in," the magistrate said. "You're at the mercy of some stranger. Just have a think about that."
But Mr Kelly said he would give the man a chance to avoid a conviction and a loss of licence, given the man's stable employment and lack of prior convictions.
The magistrate instead sentenced the 20-year-old to a 12-month good behaviour bond without conviction. \
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