Mackay mum scared of teen son

The mother of a juvenile offender has spoken up about being terrified of her teen son and has even dobbed in his alleged criminal behaviour to police.

A Mackay mother is scared of her teen son, who is a youth offender.

The mother of a juvenile offender has spoken up about being terrified of her teen son and has even dobbed in his alleged criminal behaviour to police.

She said she was frustrated because she was told nothing could be done.

The Mackay woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said her son began offending when he was about 11 – he was now 14.

“It got worse and worse and worse as time went by,” she said.

It began with skipping school, even after he was enrolled in a specialist schooling program designed for disengaged youth.

“He was coming home everyday stoned off his brain … showed up at school drunk … started drinking alcohol at school (by) hiding it in his water bottle,” she said.

He also started staying away from home.

“I was ringing the police all the time … had to list him as a missing person,” she said.

Then she began seeing videos posted to social media “of him breaking into places”, she said.

“I’ve had the police raid my house … looking for stolen items,” she said.

“It got to the point where he was being violent … towards myself and (his siblings).

“It got that bad where the cops were constantly coming here.

“I’ve got holes in my walls, I have damage in my house.

“He’s literally put knives up to us.”

At this point the woman said she had no other choice but ring the Department of Child Safety and have her son removed – he was placed in residential care.

“It was really hard, but I had to,” she said.

“I could have been at work … and come home to him stabbing one of my kids.”

News has launched the Enough is Enough campaign calling for action on youth crime.

She said while in residential care her son and his two friends would break into her house while she was at work, but when she called the department she was told “they couldn’t make him leave”.

“At this point he’s not allowed to be at my house,” she said.

“He’s violent, he’s unstable.”

She said one time he broke the screen windows off the hinges to get inside, so she rang the police to remove her son and his friends.

“They were asleep in his room,” she said.

“I want them charged and I want them out of my house.”

She said she was told because they had been 13 at the time the police were not allowed to take them to the watch house.

“It was a constant battle of them breaking into my house every day,” she said.

The woman also said she could see messages between her son and his friend – after he had logged into social media on her laptop – of what she alleges was criminal behaviour including “drug deals and break and enters”.

“I take the information to police and nothing gets done,” she said, adding she has told police “I want my son charged. I’m his parent, I’m giving you my full permissions.”

“As parents we’re sick and tired of it … we’re going to take matters into our own hands and we’re doing to be the ones who get charged.”

She said she had looked into bootcamp but the closest option was $5000 for nine days.

“I’m a single parent, I’m like how the hell am I going to afford this?”