Three boys aged 14 and 15 arrested, charged over Brickworks, Greenwith break-ins

One boy has been released on bail after three teenagers faced court over a string of break-ins across Adelaide – but police are hunting five others.

Two teens have been remanded in custody, a third released on bail, and police are hunting for another five over after a spate of break-ins in metropolitan Adelaide on Wednesday.

The charged teens, who can’t be named for legal reasons, appeared in the Adelaide Youth Court on Thursday.

The 14-year-old boy, from Devon Park, made an application for home detention bail with Magistrate Michael Jandy ordering a report to assess the eligibility.

A police prosecutor said he opposed the application due to the seriousness and prevalence of offending.

“(He’s) highly likely to breach bail conditions,” he said.

“In the event that he is bailed, even on electronic monitoring or home detention bail, it will be prosecutions position that he is a strong candidate to cut and run.

“It’s highly likely he will reoffend straight away.”

Police arrested the three youths, aged 14 and 15, after multiple small businesses were broken into and their tills stolen across three different shopping centres during and overnight crime spree in the early hours of Wednesday, from the Brickworks up to Greenwith and Para Hills.

Four businesses were broken into at the Brickworks in Torrensville, with the others at Highland Valley Shopping Centre in Greenwith and at a Para Hills shopping centre.

Select Chickens owner Amanda in Para Hills at the broken front door that was kicked 17 times during an attempt to break in.

Tim McGrath, for the youth, said peer pressure was a “significant factor” contributing to the offending and that home detention monitoring would have a high chance of stopping his involvement in crime.

The police prosecutor said a significant amount of evidence has been obtained for the break-ins placing the youth at the scene.

“There’s video evidence we also have some CSI evidence being gathered in respects to footprints,” he said.

“The CCTV has clear footage of people within the facility and they were later located wearing the same clothing.

“With respect to the other offending before the court today we have 11 counts of serious criminal trespass as business such as … Australia Post at Grenwith, St George’s Bakehouse at Grenwith, Golden Saigon, Para Hills Pizza Express.

CCTV captures one of the break-ins at a shopping centre. Picture: 7NEWS Adelaide

“We have … multiple offenders and each of those have been opportunistic thefts where they are stealing cash registers, looking for cash and stealing cash that is available to them.

“He was arrested in the company of five other people.”

The police prosecutor said the youth has also previously been charged with five breaches of bail, unlawful possession and aggravated serious trespass in September last year.

The boy from Devon Park was arrested at a Seaton home and also charged over a break-in at a Findon supermarket and a pizza bar at Torrensville.

The 15-year-old boy from Seaton did not apply for bail and was remanded in custody.

He has been charged with serious criminal trespass over the break-in at a Torrensville coffee shop, breach of bail and for an outstanding warrant.

The 14-year-old boy from Seaton was granted bail. He has been charged with two counts of serious criminal trespass and being unlawfully on premises at a coffee shop and pizza bar at Torrensville.

The trio will next appear in the Adelaide Youth Court later this month.

At a press conference on Thursday, acting Assistant Commissioner Graham Goodwin said the impact on people’s lives and businesses was “significant”.

“The level of offending continues to be of significant concern to the community and us,” Mr Goodwin said.

“Often it’s for very little gain for those people committing these offences.”

Mr Goodwin said investigations were ongoing and that police were seeking five other youths suspected of being involved in the break-ins.

Police first responded to an alarm at the Brickworks shopping centre on South Rd about 12.55am on Wednesday.

Oasis Pizza and Pasta, Chillilulu, Cibo Espresso, and W & W Quan were all found with their front windows smashed and “shattered glass everywhere”. Tills were stolen, with one found dumped.

The second spate of break-ins occurred from about 1.40am at the Para Hills shopping centre on Bridge Rd.

In the third break-in just after 2am, a witness heard breaking glass and saw “several persons” leave the Highland Village Shopping Centre on Target Hill Rd at Greenwith in a small white hatchback. A similar car was seen at Greenwith.

In recent days, close to 10 other break-ins have been reported including an aggravated robbery of a bottleshop at Ovingham and break-ins at licensed premises at Mile End. The list also includes the Cheesecake shop in Torrensville, a jewellery store in Woodville Gardens, the Bayside Bakery in Glenelg, St Peters Bakehouse, a hairdressing salon on King William Rd in Goodwood, the Dear Daisy Cafe at Forestville, and a jewellery theft at Burnside Village where $6000 worth of gold jewellery was stolen.