Bailey Pini inquest: Coronial probe to explore state care facilities

The father of a 13-year-old boy who died when a stolen car fatally crashed says a coronial probe into supervision at state care facilities is worth it if it ‘saves one more kid’.

Supervision at state care facilities will be under the spotlight during a coronial probe into the death of a Bowen teenager, who was in a stolen car when it fatally crashed near his family home.

Bailey Pini’s father has welcomed news there will be an inquest into his son’s death after almost 12 months of not having any answers about why this tragedy occurred.

“I’m all up for it because if it saves one more kid … it’s f--king heartbreaking,” John Philpott said.

Bailey Pini was killed in a crash on June 9, 2021 at Bowen after he and another teen, who had been staying at a state-run care facility at Sarina, allegedly stole their carer’s car and drove it north.

The 13 year old had been living in a government-run group home at Sarina when he and another boy allegedly stole their carer’s car and drove it north to Bowen.

“It was disgusting the way they escaped,” Mr Philpott said.

“They didn’t know he’d gone for about two hours … two or three hours, he was already at Bowen before they even knew they were missing.”

Tragically the vehicle crashed and burst into flames at the intersection of Queens Rd and King St about 6.45am on June 9, 2021.

It is understood the vehicle hit a tree and rolled before catching alight, killing Bailey and injuring a 14-year-old boy, who was flown to Townsville Hospital.

Bailey’s family has been waiting more than seven months for answers – but now the tragic death has been listed for a pre-inquest conference under Coroner Nerida Wilson.

Mr Philpott said he was frustrated he still did not have answers and hoped this inquest could shine a light on what happened in the lead up to the teen’s death.

The teen had been living in the state-run care home for less than a month before his death, just kilometres from his grandmother’s home.

Mr Philpott said he wanted to know “how he got out of there, why they weren’t supervised” and he also had questions about other youths staying at the home their backgrounds.

The issues to be explored include if there were state guidelines or instructions to the providers of residential care facilities regarding the number of supervisors to be at the facility at particular times, their duties and qualifications.

Friends and family of the late Bailey Pini gathered at the scene of the fatal car crash in Bowen to install a memorial at the tree the stolen car collided with. Picture: Kirra Grimes

It will specifically highlight what arrangements were in place as at June 9, 2021 “for the supervision of young persons at such facilities during the night-time” including how many supervisors were rostered on and if there were any requirements for a supervisor to “be awake at all times during the night-time to monitor the residents”.

Ms Wilson will also explore if there have been any changes to this system since Bailey’s death.

In November 2021 Magistrate Damien Dwyer exposed significant safety gaps at state care facilities where there was no direct supervision of children for eight hours a day.

The information came to light when Magistrate Damien Dwyer allowed this publication briefly into Mackay Childrens Court in relation to a different matter and it was revealed that between 10pm and 6am residential workers were asleep and there was no direct supervision of the young people.

The inquest will explore supervision at the state-run group home where Bailey Pini had been staying before his tragic death.

The inquest will also probe if security at youth residential care facilities should be reviewed regarding reducing the potential for unauthorised access to motor vehicles or car keys at the centres and if current measures were sufficient.

Another issue focuses on if it may be desirable to review the policy underlying placement of young people in residential care facilities “with a view to more effectively protecting young and vulnerable persons who are to be placed in a facility which also houses youths with greater experience within the Youth Justice System”.

Mr Philpott said he had since had to leave the Whitsunday area where he had been living because it was “too much” after losing Bailey not long after Bailey’s mother Sonia Pini lost her battle with cancer.

Ms Wilson will hold a pre-inquest conference later this month.