A MOTHER has been issued with a parenting order after breaking down in court yesterday when details of her tearaway son's late-night rampage on a quad bike were read out.

She admitted struggling to cope with her "out-of-control" teenage boy at Darlington's Youth Court.

The woman was ordered to complete a one-year course of parenting classes.

Magistrates heard how her 14-year-old son broke into a local motor dealer's store at 2.30am on June 22 and stole two quad bikes, taking one of them for a two-hour ride across fields.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, led his younger brother and a friend on the night-time jaunt, climbing in through a window to gain access to W B Motor Company, in Bank Top.

Derek Walton, prosecuting, said the boy rammed one of the bikes against the unit's roller shutters to force it open before riding out to a nearby field.

"The boys took it in turns to ride the bike around. They then returned to the unit to take a second bike," he said.

The bikes were abandoned in the town.

Police arrested the three boys after the teenager's mother heard about the incident from her younger son and reported it.

The two other boys are being dealt with separately by the youth court.

The teenager admitted entering W B Motor Company as a trespasser and taking the bikes, worth £1,000 each. He also admitted breaching a conditional discharge for an earlier offence of burglary.

Outlining the details of the burglary, Mr Walton said the teenager broke into a friend's house and stole a Sony PlayStation console and some games.

Louise Freeman, for the boy, said he had some mental health issues relating to self- harm and thoughts of taking his life.

She said he had problems with alcohol and had a violent relationship with his mother.

"She admits her son's behaviour is out of control," she said.

Chairman of the bench Denness Garraway told the boy: "It is a terrible thing to see when a mother can't trust her own son. That is something you will have to live with."

He was sentenced to an 18- month supervision order and told to pay £75 compensation