Dalby District Court: Western Downs juvenile offender sets stolen car on fire after joy ride

A Western Downs boy told a court he doused a stolen car in petrol before his accomplice set it on fire after realising he wasn’t wearing gloves while taking the vehicle to do burnouts. See what the judge said.

Juvenile sentenced in Dalby District Court for setting stolen car on fire. istock

A boy whose crime spree ended with him lighting a car on fire after he had stolen it from a Western Downs driveway told a court he plans to turn his life around.

The 15-year-old boy, who was 14 at the time of offending, appeared in Children’s Court of Queensland at Dalby on October 16 after his fingerprints were detected on the sides of a car that he had looked through before stealing items from inside it.

Crown prosecutor Andreas Galloway told the court that the boy’s string of offending started on November 22 last year when went through a Toyota HiLux that was unlocked in a Chinchilla driveway, stealing keys and a small amount of money.

Mr Galloway said more than two weeks later the child unlocked the door of another person’s car after he’d stolen the keys to it earlier.

The court was told the boy and an unknown accomplice took the car to Burnt Bridge Rd and did burnouts until the tyres blew out.

“They abandoned the car and left,” Mr Galloway said.

“(The boy) remembered his fingerprints may have been left on the steering wheel as he wasn’t wearing gloves, so returned and poured petrol on the driver’s seat and steering wheel inside of the vehicle and his accomplice ignited it.”

Mr Galloway also informed the court of the boy’s criminal history mentioning he had been sentenced in Chinchilla Magistrates Court for burglary and dangerous operation of vehicle.

Defence barrister Frank Martin said the boy who had recently moved in with his uncle and aunty was taking steps to turn his life around.

“I think if he misbehaves his uncle might look after him really well,” Mr Martin said, acknowledging the boy’s uncle was sitting in the back of the courtroom.

Judge Nicole Kefford acknowledged the boy’s “violent upbringing” and commended him for taking his own steps to develop himself by moving and starting work as an apprentice.

“I see many youths who haven’t taken steps themselves so it’s positive to see,” she said.

The boy pleaded guilty to break and enter, stealing, unlawful use of motor vehicle and arson.

He was sentenced to 12 months’ probation and no conviction was recorded.