Boy, 10, held after joyride in father's car

Hong Kong police said on Wednesday they had briefly detained a 10-year-old American boy who took his father's Maserati GranTurismo coupe out for a spin.

The boy grabbed the keys from an unlocked drawer in the family's apartment near central Hong Kong, revved the engine and drove off in the two-door car on Monday, the South China Morning Post said.

He hit a vehicle in the car park but continued driving the car -- for which his businessman father paid HK$1.6 million (US$206,000) in 2009 -- for another 300 metres down a busy road before he stopped and a passer-by called the police.

"Police arrested the 10-year-old for driving without a licence and taking a conveyance without authority under the theft ordinance," a police spokeswoman told AFP, adding that the boy has been released on police bail.

The boy is required to report back to the police station later this month. Police said there was no indication he was driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the South China Morning Post report said.

The offence carries a maximum punishment of seven years' imprisonment and a fine but a police source told the Post that he was unlikely to be charged because of his age.
 

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