Bailey Pini’s father speaks out after days of social media ‘backlash’

Trolls have launched a sickening attack on the family of a 13-year-old Bowen boy, killed when the stolen car he was driving crashed last week.

A Whitsunday father grieving the death of his youngest son is pleading with social media users not to underestimate the impact of negative comments targeting people at their most vulnerable.

Jonathan Philpott was compelled to speak publicly about the death of his son Bailey Pini in last week’s stolen car crash in Bowen, after reading hundreds of Facebook comments from complete strangers passing judgment on both Bailey and his family, even before they have had a chance to properly say goodbye.

Many of the comments assumed 13-year-old Bailey had been tied up in Townsville’s ongoing juvenile crime issues, and declared he deserved to die for stealing a car.

Many blamed his parents for failing in their responsibilities, even after it was reported that Bailey’s mother Sonia Pini had died from cancer last year.

Others were personal attacks, such as a comment on an official Queensland Police Service account criticising Mr Philpott for going to his local pub the day after learning of his son’s death.

Moderators were quick to delete this particular comment, but not before Mr Philpott read it, and began to question how people could be so cruel to those already suffering unimaginable pain.

He said he was now “too scared to go on Facebook” or even turn on the news because of what people might be saying about the family, and about Bailey.

He wanted to set the record straight that Bailey was “not out stealing 50 cars a week” and his tight-knit family “didn’t even know he could drive a car at all”.

This recent photograph of Bailey on a camping trip is one of his dad’s favourites. Picture: Supplied.

He also wanted it to be known the family had tried everything they could think of to help Bailey overcome behavioural issues exacerbated by his mother’s untimely death, from tough love to lectures to allowing him ultimate freedom.

He said placing Bailey into the care of the state was a last resort, and was only ever meant to be temporary.

“The whole family made the decision together, and we all agreed that we would review things in a few months’ time,” Mr Philpott said.

“The idea was just to give him some time out, to get him back on the straight and narrow.

“We didn’t rush into it, the whole family thought it was the right thing to do.

“If it’s run by the state, it should be safe, it should be foolproof.”

Like Bailey’s older sister Troydon Pini, Mr Philpott said Bailey was cherished by his family and friends, but struggled to let anyone in following Sonia’s death.

He stayed with his dad in Airlie Beach for “quite a while” but kept running away from home and getting into trouble no matter who took him in.

“He was loved by everyone, but he never let anybody get close to him after his mum passed away,” Mr Philpott said.

“It was like he didn’t want to be loved. The harder you tried, the more he’d push you away.”

The crash that claimed the life of Bailey Pini. Picture: 7 News

Mr Philpott said everyone close to Bailey was naturally questioning whether they could have done more, and did not need the social media blame game on top of that.

“I keep going over it, and the more I do, the more I beat myself up,” Mr Philpott said.

“But ‘maybes’ aren’t going to bring him back.”

Beyond defending his son’s memory, the reality for Mr Philpott consists of weeks or even months of waiting for investigators to return Bailey’s remains to the family so they can lay him to rest in Bowen.

He also needs to decide what to do with Bailey’s belongings, such as the well-used fishing rod sitting by his front door, ready and waiting for the next father-son outing.

He urged anyone struggling to reach out to supports like Lifeline, which he said had helped him in recent days.

And to anyone thinking of posting a nasty comment, he said: “Have your opinions but please don’t put them up to hurt people.

“Some of it really hurts, and not just me – the whole family, it’s knocking the crap out of all of us.

“For people that don’t know the full story, please let the family just grieve.”

Investigation continues

A Queensland Police spokesman said the investigation into the car crash that killed Bailey and injured another teenage boy was ongoing, with no charges laid as of Tuesday, June 15.

Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs Minister Leanne Linard’s office could not provide an update on the automatic review of a child’s death while in state care.

The 14-year-old that survived the crash remains in Townsville University Hospital in a stable condition.