12 Mar 2010 8:51 a.m.
Eastern Bay police are warning youth offenders, age is no defence when it comes to justice.
A 17 and 16 -year-old are before the courts for allegedly stealing a vehicle in Whakatane, before trashing it in Opotiki.
Senior Constable Paul Dickey says it serves as a warning youth offenders will be dealt with through the court system.
He says some teenagers think they can get away with crime if they're under 16.
However Senior Constable Dickey says police will put them through the youth court system.