Mackay teen pleads guilty to car thefts, dangerous driving

A teen who racked up a huge damage bill after he stole and flipped one car and then took advantage of a passerby who stopped to help, now has a chance for self-redemption.

A Mackay teen pleaded guilty to car theft and dangerous driving on the Bruce Highway.

A Mackay teen crim who caused almost $80,000 in damage after crashing two cars following back-to-back thefts has been given an opportunity to redeem himself.

Childrens Court of Queensland heard the 16 year old was nearly three times the legal blood-alcohol limit when he crashed a car – pinched from Beaconsfield – along the Bruce Highway just before 11pm on April 4, 2022.

The car flipped on its roof and was extensively damaged.

The teen, now 17 and who cannot be named for legal reasons, fled the immediate scene – but a passing motorist stopped and went to the crashed car to check that no one had been trapped.

The court heard as the good Samaritan did this the teen entered his vehicle and turned it on before the man ran back to his vehicle – the youth then started “punching his face” causing bruising.

“The man punched back because he was trying to stop the vehicle and (the teen) accelerated heavily crashing that car into the back of a parked truck,” Judge Michael Byrne said.

“That man was actually thrown through the driver’s side window when the collision happened.”

The teen pleaded guilty to two counts each of aggravated dangerous driving and unlawful use of a motor vehicle and one count of assault causing bodily harm.

The court heard the teen ran away “but to his credit” returned with “his hands in the air” apologising to the victim he assaulted and offering to panel beat the damage out.

“Unfortunately the stated of the vehicle was well past that,” Judge Byrne said, adding the repair bill was about $18,000 for the first car and $58,000 for the second.

The court heard his blood alcohol was 0.148 per cent that night.

The offending occurred in the final few days of a four-month probation order.

The court heard the teen had a prejudicial childhood and was exposed to significant levels of domestic violence, illicit drug use and alcohol use growing up.

“He’s been using drugs and cannabis and inhalers and alcohol since he was a pre-teen,” barrister Scott McLennan said, adding a report revealed he had a problem with chronic alcohol use himself.

“He was heavily intoxicated when he committed the offences.”

The court heard this was a cycle that would be targeted – as such Mr McLennan submitted for probation.

The teen has not been charged with any offences since this incident.

When it comes to youth offenders the primary role of the court is to rehabilitate.

Judge Byrne said the community would be better off if there were orders to help the teen “deal with past issues and provide for future rehabilitation”.

He was placed on 12 months probation with a special condition that he must attend drug and alcohol courses, and convictions were not recorded. His licence was also disqualified for six months.