48-hour rap sheet: Qld’s youth crime rampage

Amid calls for harsher bail laws for serial youth offenders, The Courier-Mail has compiled a damning list of youth crime committed in the state. READ THE RAP SHEET

Amid community concern over youth crime bail laws, The Courier-Mail has compiled a list of youth crime committed in the state over a 48 hour period. Here is what we found.

TUESDAY

- Four teenage boys were charged with 29 offences including burglary, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and receiving tainted property yesterday following an extensive police chase in Rockhampton on Monday afternoon.

- A 17-year-old Gordonvale boy, a 16-year-old Edmonton boy and a 27-year-old Gordonvale man were charged by Cairns police with offences including unlawful use of a motor vehicle after allegedly stealing a Suzuki sedan on Monday.

- Witnesses reported seeing children running from the scene of a stolen car fire in North Ward in Townsville yesterday. Police investigations continue.

- Townsville Police are also investigating a separate incident that saw a stolen Audi hit the bulbar of a police car. The car was at one stage spotted with a group of five juveniles inside, reportedly aged 10 to 11.

- Teens attempted to break in to a North Ipswich property in broad daylight on Monday, according to homeowner Luke Robinson. Mr Robinson said he woke up to two male youths attempting to kick in the front door of his Edith St home, but they ran off when they saw him. He reported the matter to police who sent forensic officers.

Youth crime has become a hot topic recently with calls for harsher bail laws.

WEDNESDAY

- Four youths were last night in police custody after a dramatic foot chase through bushland in Oxenford. Police arrested four people after attempting to stop a car driving through the Gold Coast. Two of the juveniles were arrested after a lengthy

foot chase through scrub.

- A teenager in lockup at the Brisbane juvenile detention centre caused chaos when he phoned the Toowoomba office of Queensland Youth Justice warning that a bomb was set to explode beneath a desk. The building was evacuated while emergency services and police carried out a search, but no explosive device was found. An Ipswich court heard the teenager was bored because of the lockdown due to COVID-19. Now aged 16 years, the teenager pleaded guilty in the dock of Ipswich Children’s Court on Monday to the crime of committing a bomb hoax.

- A teenage girl faced Ipswich Children’s Court yesterday, pleading guilty to attempted robbery in company after taking a drink from a Caboolture Baskin Robbins fridge in 2019 and refusing to pay. The girl, who was 17 at the time, was sentenced to a 12-month probation order. No conviction was recorded

against her.

- A 16-year-old boy and an 18-year-old man from Yatala have been charged with unlawful use of a motor vehicle after allegedly stealing two cars from a Highland Park home last month. Police found the SUV on January 24, while the victim’s Ford Falcon was located on Australia Day after being dumped in Palm Beach.

Youth crime has become a hot topic recently with calls for harsher bail laws.