Bruce Saunders speaks as teen charged over triple fatal returns to court

An angry local waved a “no bail” banner outside the Maryborough courthouse and the city’s Labor MP says “hard questions” must be asked about youth crime in the region. VIDEO.

Emotions are running high in Maryborough as 13-year-old boy, charged over a crash that caused the deaths of three women in the city on Sunday night faced a magistrate.

Marc Hazel, a Hervey Bay resident, drove to the neighbouring city on Wednesday morning to take a stand sign outside the courthouse.

One banner simply read “no bail” while another called for laws to change so that punishment reflected the seriousness of a crime and not the age of the person charged.

Hervey Bay resident Marc Hazel drove to Maryborough's courthouse to take a stand as the case of a 13-year-old boy charged over a crash which claimed the lives of three women was heard.

Police have been patrolling the court grounds and nearby Queen’s Park after protests erupted outside the court at the boy’s previous appearance on Tuesday and one heckler followed the child’s parents down Wharf St, calling them “shameful parents”.

The boy, who police allege is “known to them” was not living with his parents in the lead up to the crash and was instead staying at a home in Bundaberg.

Police patrol the courthouse precinct in Maryborough during the appearance of a teenager charged over a triple fatal crash.

Police allege the boy was driving a stolen car at the time of the crash which claimed the lives of 52-year-old Hervey Bay nurse Sheree Robertson, former Riverside Christian College student Kelsie Davies, 17, and Reach Church pastor Michale Chandler, 29, cannot be identified for legal reasons.

This publication applied to be present for Wednesday’s court proceedings.

However, defence lawyer Travis George said the boy’s mental state was one of the reasons why the media should not be allowed in.

Fraser Coast nurse Sheree Robertson, Reach Church pastor Michale Chandler and teen Kelsie Davies were killed in the horror crash in Maryborough.

Magistrate John Milburn accepted that submission, saying the onus was on the media to prove their presence and coverage would not be prejudicial to the child.

Outside court, Mr Hazel said he wanted to show support for the victims, including Tinana’s Kaylah Behrens, 23, who was seriously injured in the crash and underwent surgery on Tuesday in Royal Brisbane Hospital.

“We’re sick of it. This government is doing nothing,” he said, accusing state leaders of being more focused on the 2032 Olympics than the youth crime crisis.

Now a disability care worker, Mr Hazel previously worked as a nurse and his heart went out to the family of Ms Robertson who was driving home from her shift at Maryborough Hospital when she was killed.

Referencing the recent death of Hervey Bay Uber driver Scott Cabrie, for which two teenagers are charged with murder, Mr Hazel said youth crime was a “massive” issue for the region.

“I’ve only been in Hervey Bay for 12 months and I’m thinking of leaving,” he said

Meanwhile, Maryborough MP Bruce Saunders gave his strongest indication yet that he would be calling out his own government over its management of youth justice.

Maryborough MP Bruce Saunders says “hard questions” will be asked of government decision makers. Picture Lachie Millard

Speaking to Triple M radio on Wednesday morning, Mr Saunders said “errors” had been made in the past and there was “going to be very hard questions asked of certain departments and the judiciary later on”.

While he would not be drawn on what action he was taking, Mr Saunders described the loss of lives as “senseless” and said now was “not the time for politics.”