Caleb Hayden Hearn: Dalby car thief drives at parents with children and pram on footpath

‘You caused great fear to a young family’: A court heard the man veered a stolen car off the road towards a family walking with a pram, just days after he broke into a Dalby business and stole a motorbike.

Behind the wheel of a stolen car, a 20-year-old father-to-be sped along a Dalby street and aimed the vehicle at a young family walking along a footpath before they were forced to take evasive action.

Caleb Hayden Hearn was berated in Dalby Magistrates Court on Monday when he appeared by video link.

Police prosecutor Chris Hutchins said Hearn was heard revving a car along a Dalby street on March 9 before he drove at speed towards a family who were walking along the pathway with their two kids.

“One child was walking with a parent the other was being pushed in a pram,” Sergeant Hutchins said.

Sergeant Hutchins said the terrified family were able to get out of the way before Hearn stopped driving and yelled abuse at them through the window of the car.

The court heard earlier that day the man had broke into an elderly couple’s home and stole their Suzuki Swift which he would later use to drive at the young family.

Caleb Hayden Hearn Picture: Facebook

The court was told that days prior to the break in and dangerous driving offences he was busted by CCTV breaking into Dalby Motos and taking off with a motorbike.

“A Toyota Camry can be seen driving past Dalby Moto a couple times before it stopped on the road with the lights turned off,” Sergeant Hutchins said.

The 20-year-old was seen smashing his way through the glass panel wall before he drove off on a motorbike from the store without a helmet and moments later failing to stop at a red light, almost colliding with a truck.

Defence lawyer Michael McElhinney said his client who had spent six months in pre-sentence custody was in the process of getting counselling after experiencing the loss of his mother at a young age.

“He has a child on the way and wants to put this all behind him and be a father.”

Magistrate Kerrie O’Callaghan pointed out that Hearn was already sentenced to 15 months’ jail earlier this year for a burglary offence and was on parole at the time of the most recent offending.

“You caused great fear to a young family and stole a car from an elderly couple and then drove it erratically.”

Hearn pleaded guilty to a total of 28 charges which consisted of two counts of dangerous operation of a vehicle, two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm, evading police, stealing, wilful damage, entering a dwelling to cause an indictable offence and a string of driving offences.

He was sentenced to 12 months’ jail and disqualified from driving for two years.