Boy, 11, arrested after cops find him at wheel of BMW SUV towing ‘stolen’ caravan on busy M1
AN 11-year-old boy has been arrested by cops after he was found behind the wheel of a BMW SUV towing a suspected stolen caravan along a major motorway.
Police were left shocked after discovering a child behind the wheel of the BMW X5 as he headed down the M1, near Leeds, West Yorkshire, while pulling the motorhome.
Officers were told yesterday at 3.30pm that a caravan had been taken from a holiday site near Thirsk, North Yorkshire, by someone driving the black luxury vehicle.
And they then tracked down the BMW, which was also using cloned registration plates, as it headed South on the A1.
Police managed to stop the car just 45 minutes later after it left the A1 at Hook Moor Interchange near Garforth and headed onto the M1.
But they were stunned when they pulled open the driver's door to find the young schoolboy sitting at the wheel of the powerful motor.
North Yorkshire Police said he was questioned and has since been released on conditional police bail to allow further enquiries to be carried out.
And they were thankful that no one had been injured in the shocking incident.
The force is now cautioning all caravan owners to ensure their vehicles have up-to-date security measures to prevent thefts.
These include installing CCTV overlooking motorhomes and locking gates that allow access to driveways and garages where they are stored.
It comes after an unrelated incident where a self-proclaimed "enforcer" of good driving deliberately rammed "bad" motorists as he drove at 130mph on a busy motorway.
Gavin Bathurst-Shaw-Binning was high on drugs when he smashed into the back of nine cars in a 30-minute spree of destruction.
The BMW driver, 46, was seen punching the air in a "triumphant victory" after his M3 "pandemonium".
Miraculously no one was killed in the 30-mile rampage last June but one driver was left in hospital with suspected spinal injuries.