The mother of a teenager who ran off without paying a taxi fare complained when he was given a night-time curfew as part of his bail.

Gary Hollis, 17, and his friend Zharrin Simmons, 18, pleaded guilty on Friday to dodging the $32 fare home to Sandys in the early hours of January 18.

Hollis's mother tried to get him to change his plea, as she did not like the way the case was handled at Magistrates' Court, but he declined to do so.

She then went on to complain at length to Magistrate Archibald Warner about other aspects of the case.

Mr. Warner heard from prosecutor Nicole Smith how the pair, along with two others who were not before the court, asked taxi driver Gilbert Pearman to take them home from Hamilton.

However, when the taxi got to Spring Benny Road, the group ran off down the hill without paying.

Mr. Pearman spotted Simmons at Hog Bay Level later that same day. According to the prosecutor, she gave him her name and number, but still did not pay.

Mr. Pearman complained to the Police, and Simmons and Hollis were arrested in February.

Neither has any previous convictions.

Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner ordered pre-sentence reports, and told the pair to come back to court on April 29.

He gave them each $2,000 bail with one surety and imposed a 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew as a condition of their bail.

Ms Simmons said the whole episode was "a misunderstanding" as she gave the taxi driver her details when he saw her at Hog Bay Level.

"He never called me for the money. I was willing to pay, but I never had it on me at the time," she said.

Hollis declined to address the court, but his mother complained to Mr. Warner that there were only two people charged when four fled from the taxi.

"Why did it take the Police a month to come after them?" she complained.

She also claimed Mr. Pearman made "a legal agreement" with Simmons when she gave her information.

"Why didn't he call her to get his money?" she asked.

Mr. Warner pointed out the pair admitted to a charge of failing to pay the fare on the spot, and would be guilty of that even if they'd paid the next day.

He also pointed out that they could have pleaded not guilty if they wanted to go to trial.

Hollis declined an invitation to change his plea, at which point his mother claimed he's "not old enough" to handle the situation. "That's why I'm here to sign bail for him".

Mr. Warner said Hollis was old enough to be dealt with as an adult in an adult court.

However, Ms Hollis went on to complain that she would not have bailed her son if she'd realised only two people were being charged.

And, she accused Mr. Warner of being "biased" as another young person who'd just admitted shoplifting a bottle of vodka did not have a curfew imposed.

Mr. Warner replied: "This is considered a serious offence. That is why with regards to bail, I have imposed a curfew to reduce the likelihood of that happening again.

"If they are at home at night it reduces the chances of them robbing any other taxi drivers."