A mercedes stolen from a house in Gerrards Cross was abandoned after the thief could not get it to go faster than 40mph, a court heard.

The car, worth £23,000, was taken when the house in North Park was burgled on June 23 last year.

Kieran Grinter, 19, of Mill Avenue, Uxbridge, pleaded guilty to burglary and theft of the Mercedes and asked to have the burglary of another house in North Park and two offences of allowing himself to be carried in stolen vehicles taken into consideration.

Louise Fanshaw, prosecuting, told Aylesbury Crown Court, on Friday how the defendant drove with three other accomplices from the London area to Gerrards Cross with the intention of stealing a car which they planned to sell.

The court heard Grinter told police he had waited outside the house where he was given the keys to the Mercedes.

He later dumped the car when he could not get it to go faster than 40mph due to a mechanical fault.

Defence barrister Charles Wells told the court Grinter had been the only one of the four-man gang to be arrested after he had been persuaded to get involved through his desperation to get money to feed his then crack habit.

Judge Roger Connor sentenced Grinter, who had previous convictions, to two years and five months detention at a young offenders' institution for burglary and 12 months concurrent for theft.

April 28, 2003 15:30