Teen sentenced in Maryborough for unlawful use of motor vehicles

A teenage boy was busted driving recklessly behind the wheel of stolen cars after his friend posted videos to Instagram, a court heard.

The 16-year-old boy was busted after police saw Instagram videos posted by his friends.

A teenager was busted for reckless driving after his friends uploaded videos of him behind the wheel of a stolen vehicle to Instagram.

The 16-year-old, who can’t be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful use of a motor vehicle when he appeared before Maryborough District Court on Wednesday.

The court heard it was the third time the teen had come before the court for similar offending.

Judge Nathan Jarro said there were 10 people in court who’d had to sort out the “mischief” the teenager had gotten himself involved in, one month after he had been placed on a probation order for similar offending.

“You’re here today to answer to, and everyone has to deal with it, further uses of unlawful motor vehicles,” he said.

The child was facing two charges, Judge Jarro said, stemming from incidents on July 4, 2024, and August 4, 2024.

Judge Jarro said people’s homes had been broken into, not necessarily by the boy, but somehow he’d gotten possession of each of their cars.

Maryborough Courthouse. Photo: Valerie Horton/ Fraser Coast Chronicle.

The boy had been caught because his friend put posts up on Instagram filming him driving “fairly recklessly” and putting other people’s lives at risk, Judge Jarro said.

“Do you want to say anything about that?” he said.

“Are you sorry about it?”

“I’m sorry for what I did,” the teen said.

Judge Jarro said the teen had accepted responsibility for what he did, but warned that at 16, in two years’ time, he would face the adult justice system.

He said he felt the child was starting to mature, but that he needed to stop that type of offending.

Judge Jarro said the child had lost his grandmother about two years ago and she had been a positive influence in his life.

He said the teen had only started committing offences after that.

The teen had become bored after dropping out of school and took up with the wrong friends and associates, Judge Jarro said.

The teen had spent a period of time in detention ahead of sentencing, which had been a “wake up call” for him, the court heard.

The boy was sentenced to a 12-month good behaviour bond with no convictions recorded.

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