Two men charged for filming Gympie hoons as crackdown continues

Men from Widgee, North Deep Creek and Gympie have been arrested and charged as police continue their crackdown on the region’s escalating hooning problem.

Police have charged three more men as the crackdown on hoons across regional Qld continue, including two for capturing the dangerous behaviour on camera.

Two men have been charged with multiple offences for filming Gympie hoons in a police crackdown on dangerous driving.

Police said on Wednesday a 20-year-old Gympie man and an 18-year-old North Deep Creek man were among the latest arrests made as part of operation Victor Coriolis.

Each of the men has been charged with four counts of unlawful photographing, filming or publishing hooning offences and one count of contravening a police direction.

The two men were also fined for other traffic offences:

The 20-year-old more than $2300 for not wearing a seatbelt on two occasions, and the 18-year-old $124 for hanging a limb out a window.

The 20-year-old will face Gympie magistrates Court on October 9, and the 18-year-old will appear on October 16.

A third man, an 18-year-old from Widgee, was also charged with two counts each of driving unlicensed, unregistered, uninsured, false plates and one count each of obstruct police and contravene direction.

He appeared at Gympie Magistrates Court Wednesday, September 13.

Two men have been charged over filming hoons on Gympie’s streets as part of an ongoing police crackdown on the behaviour. Picture: (supplied)

The 18-year-old had previously been charged with two counts each of drive unregistered vehicle, drive uninsured vehicle, demerit point suspended and false plates attached, and one count of obstructing police on September 4.

Another man charged at the same time, 18-year-old Brodee Podetti of West Bundaberg, was denied bail on Monday September 9 after Magistrate Bevan Hughes found he was a danger to himself and the public.

“The offending includes self-aggrandising behaviour, which concerns me because it shows no insight on your part into the dangers to yourself and the public that this offending presents,” Mr Hughes said during Mr Podetti’s bail application.

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Following these new charges Gympie Patrol Group Inspector Brad Inskip said police would continue their clampdown on hooning behaviour.

“If you are promoting this behaviour by filming it and uploading it to social media, you can expect to be targeted by police,” Inspector Inskip said.

“We have a zero tolerance approach to this dangerous and reckless behaviour.

“I encourage the community to continue to report hooning activity, as well as any photos or videos of the offences, to Gympie police.”