A magistrate said the youth, who cannot be named because he’s aged under 18 years, was a high risk to himself and other members of the community.

He said the youth had been lucky to walk away from a vehicle accident and he was an unacceptable risk of further offending.

The magistrate said the youth had not convinced him he shouldn’t remain in detention.

The case was adjourned until an administrative hearing on February 6 but the 14-year-old is not expected back in court until February 17.

The youth has already been held in custody 20 days. He was arrested and bailed three times before being remanded in custody.

He has been charged with a large number of offences, most relating to theft of vehicles and driving offences which police allege occurred in Warrnambool district and Melbourne between May and November last year.

The youth is alleged to have been involved in a number of high-speed police chases at Warrnambool’s Gateway Plaza and along Raglan Parade on separate dates.

Police allege the youth has admitted to driving at speeds above 200km/h. He was also involved in a single-vehicle accident near Hopetoun.

Other charges relate to stealing two rare motorbikes at Altona and going for a joy ride with another youth on one of the bikes.

Other Warrnambool district offending allegedly involves stealing three motorbikes from Wangoom Road addresses, damaging two Gunditjmara Co-operative cars, attempting to steal a camper van, stealing and badly damaging a paddock vehicle, theft of a vehicle from a Rooneys Road business, the burglary and attempted theft of a vehicle at a mechanics.