‘Palaszczuk is responsible’: Brisbane dad demands action after terrifying break-in

A Brisbane man has revealed his horrific experience with youth crime, after his home was broken into in the early hours of this morning.

A publican has issued an impassioned plea to the Palaszczuk Government to “stop the spin” and fix the youth crime crisis after three teenagers allegedly threatened to kill him during a terrifying attempted break-in at his family’s Ascot home.

Michael Falvey defended the home with a baseball bat alongside his father Peter - who was naked and armed with two broken bottles - and their two German Shepherds after he spied the trio climbing over the front fence about 1.15am.

Mr Falvey, whose families own Falvey’s Cecil Hotel Goodna and Falvey’s Hotel Yamanto, sprayed the State Government on social media afterwards, questioning “which politician's house and family needs to be targeted to see some real action on this sort of behaviour”.

“This isn't news anymore. It’s everyday life for thousands of decent, hardworking Queenslanders, and the Palaszczuk Government needs to stop the spin and fix it NOW,” he wrote.

“As I write this now, I wonder which politician's house and family needs to be targeted to see some real action on this sort of behaviour? I won’t sleep tonight, not just from the adrenaline pump but from the worry of ‘what if’.

Ascot residents Peter and Kim Falvey and there son Michael Falvey were woken in the early hours of this morning with three people trying to break-in to their Rupert terrace home. Ascot Friday 21st April 2023 Picture David Clark

“I‘m 35, more than 6ft tall, and over 100kg, but what if my mum was home alone? What if my sister was home alone? What if someone I have never met doesn’t have the same luck I did tonight and meets these KIDS in the hallway in the middle of the night?”

Mr Falvey, whose sister - Stylist and Fashion Editor Brooke Falvey - also lives nearby, later told The Courier-Mail he saw a car that appeared to be a white RAV4 do a U-turn before one person got out and came up to the side gate, followed by the driver and a back seat passenger.

“Car headlights have shone into the window, and I thought “that’s strange,” so I got up to investigate and thought it was someone coming back in an Uber from a night out,” he said.

“Once I saw them coming over the fence I knew we were going to be attacked.

“I grabbed my phone and called triple-0 and I’ve also got a bat next to the bed because I was ready for it.

“I went and poked my old man and said ‘we are getting robbed here.”

Qld youth crime: Everything you need to know about victims, crimes and what happens next

Mr Falvey said himself and his father went outside to defend their home - along with their two German Shepherds dogs - thinking the offenders would speed away but instead, they sped up the street in their car directly towards them.

“If it wasn’t me with my bat or their German Shepherds, Dad running out with his two bottles in the nude would have scared them,” he said.

Mr Falvey said the offenders threatened to come back and kill him after he took cover from the car behind a concrete pillar.

“I know they had masks over their face, but they sounded like teenagers,” he said.

Mr Falvey said “enough has been enough for years now” and the government needed to keep drilling at the issue of youth crime until it is fixed.

“Does it have to be someone the premier loves to be broken into?,” he said.

“I will prepare myself like we are going to be robbed tonight, I was prepared last night, it was inevitable and it occurred,” he said.

Ascot residents Peter and Kim Falvey and there son Michael Falvey were woken in the early hours of this morning with three people trying to break-in to their home. Picture: David Clark

Mr Falvey said youth crime issues must be taken out of magistrate’s hands and programs should be put in place to help them.

“I understand that some of these kids may come from terrible backgrounds, but that is not innocent people’s fault,” he said.

Mr Falvey said this is a far too common occurrence and both neighbours of his home have also been broken into.

“This is not a one off, we wouldn’t have been the only people last night in Queensland who had our home violated,” he said.

“People deserve to be able to be safe in their own homes,” Mr Falvey said.

Mr Falvey said they are having additional security measures put in place after this experience.

“People have to understand that this can, and likely will, happen to them and the person responsible, is Annastacia Palaszczuk,” he said.

It comes after Radio Host Paul Campion called for stronger laws surrounding youth crime following his experience last year after his home was broken into and his car was stolen.

Minister for Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs Leanne Linard said the Palaszczuk Government is listening to the community and acting to address youth crime.

“As part of its comprehensive response to youth crime, we are investing more than $100 million in additional funds into programs proven to make a difference in breaking the cycle of youth offending,” Minister Linard said.

“This includes expanding intensive case management, youth co-responder teams and our Stronger Communities initiatives. We are also making further investments in On Country programs and grassroots early intervention,” she said.

“We are also continuing to fund other initiatives such as our Transition to Success program, restorative justice conferencing, bail support programs and multi-agency cooperative panels.

Minister Linard said the evidence clearly shows that these programs are getting results in diverting young people from crime.

“At the same time and to target serious repeat offenders, the government has introduced new laws and tougher penalties. For the first time this century breaching bail conditions for young offenders will be an offence in Queensland.

“We are also funding more frontline police officers and giving them the tools they need to respond to crime in our community,” Minister Linard said.