Crime victim Brad Neven speaks out after JRT Group burglary

Brad Neven has been a victim of crime in his house and now at his workplace in Yeppoon. He has warned that people no longer feel safe in their own homes and businesses. Watch the CCTV footage.

Well-known Central Queensland businessman Brad Neven cannot escape youth crime - in his home or his workplace.

Still reeling from the break and enter of his Yeppoon home last year, the JRT Group CEO is livid after the business’s machinery yard on the Capricorn Coast was targeted on August 28.

The barbed wire fence was no deterrent, with thieves cutting a hole through it to enter the premises before hotwiring an employee’s Nissan Patrol ute and driving away.

The stolen vehicle is yet to be recovered.

Shockingly, the JRT Group aren’t the only victims on the street.

Across the road at NRG Industrial, criminals have allegedly been continually entering through the fence and stealing large amounts of copper wiring.

Brad Neven of JRT Group standing outside the business’s machinery yard in Yeppoon.

Mr Neven told Queensland MPs at the Youth Justice Reform Committee in February that he felt helpless and his wife wanted to sell and move from their hometown after their house was burgled.

CCTV footage shows five young offenders creeping through the premises about early in the morning on April 20 before stealing multiple sets of car keys along with Mr Neven’s motorbike.

He recently recovered it, but the damage was extensive.

Mr Neven said locals are beginning to feel uncomfortable living in the area.

“This crime feels like it’s happening every other day,” Mr Neven said.

“People don’t feel safe in their own homes and businesses.”

He also believes criminals are not deterred by jail time or the legal system.

People break in to Brad Neven's Yeppoon home in April, 2023.

“To criminals, jail is like a university - they learn off more hardened criminals… the victims of crime are forgotten in the whole process,” Mr Neven said.

“We’re all fed up. Enough’s enough.”

Owners of an automobile wreckers in Rockhampton were so frustrated after being broken into last week that they took to social media, offering a $1000 reward for information on the alleged thief shown on CCTV footage.

The business owners declined an interview when contacted by The Morning Bulletin.

A Queensland Police Service spokesperson said the incident is still under investigation and urged anyone with relevant information to contact Policelink on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Brad Neven told a Queensland parliamentary youth crime forum he feels helpless and does not know what do in the wake of being a victim of crime.

The LNP candidate for Keppel, Nigel Hutton, praised the efforts of local police along with raising concerns about the justice system.

“Queensland Police are doing the hardest of jobs in the hardest of circumstances,” he said.

“They’re just not getting the support they need to have a justice system that backs them up.

“They’re doing the investigations, they are identifying the criminals.

“Victims of crime are losing out, and that’s what needs to change.”

Brad Neven and Nigel Hutton Standing Together

Jessie Conway from Our Space in Stockland Rockhampton said family heavily influenced young people.

The service manager of the organisation designed to reduce youth disengagement said parental influence was a major factor to consider when addressing youth crime.

“We see a lot of kids who are starting to get into the criminal justice system because they don’t have parental guidance at home… a lack of role models, falling into the wrong crowd and then being pressured into committing crimes,” she said.

“Early intervention is really important as well, working with these kids when they are young and identifying issues prior to them entering into criminal activity.

Stockland Rockhampton Shopping Centre. Picture: Aden Stokes

She also echoed Mr Neven’s statements about incarceration failing to deter youths from a life of crime.

“[Juvenile detention] is not a strong deterrent… we find that kids tend to come out and continue to reoffend up until they are 18,” Ms Conway said.

“Juvenile detention to them is a warm feed, a comfy bed and stability… I don’t think increasing beds is going to make a difference.

“People need to understand that it’s not a simple issue to target, these kids have a lot going on in their lives - it’s not simply that they are out there looking for some fun.”