16-year-old boy sentenced in Townsville District Court for home invasion’s and attempted robbery

A teenager has been told by a Townsville judge his “parents should be sitting in the dock next to him” after he attempted to rob a woman while she breastfed her newborn baby.

A 16-year-old boy has been sentenced in Townsville District Court for attempted robbery and burglary.

A teenager who walked into a woman’s house and threatened her as she breastfed her newborn baby, laughed at his crimes when he was asked about it behind bars, a court has heard.

A 16-year-old boy was told by Judge Michael Burnett that his parents deserved to be facing the same sentence as him in the Townsville Childrens Court, after he walked into two peoples homes in the span of 10 minutes.

The court heard on July 14 last year, the teenager was driving around in a stolen car when he stopped and walked into a couples home through their garage.

Luckily security cameras on the property alerted one of the tenants of the boys presence.

“He saw that person sneak up the hallway towards his wife in the kitchen, he ran towards you and yelled at you to get out of the house,” Judge Burnett said.

“As he ran through the house, past his wife, you ran out the door.”

The teenager stole the key to the garage door before he hopped back into the stolen black car and drove to his next victim’s house.

“The (woman) was at home, she was feeding her newborn infant child and she saw you enter through the door that connects the house to the garage,” Judge Burnett said.

“She asked whether she could help you and you raised your fingers to your throat and dragged it across your throat and whispered words to the effect of ‘shush’.”

The boy, who was 15 at the time, began searching around the house and then approached the woman and asked her for money, but the woman said she didn’t have any.

The boy said “I’m going now, but don’t say anything” before he left the house, Judge Burnett said.

The 16-year-old broke into the home of a new mother who was breastfeeding her baby.

When he spoke about his crimes behind bars, the court heard he thought that it was funny the man from the first house had almost caught him.

“You said you felt shocked but laughed when you jumped the fence,” Judge Burnett said.

Crown prosecutor Moore said in the five years since the 16-year-old first faced court, he had been convicted off more than 160 charges.

Defence barrister Michael Hibble said the boy had experienced a challenging upbringing and would be in the care of the Department of Child Safety upon his release.

Mr Hibble also highlighted that no one, including child safety, had shown up to support the boy during his sentence.

“We’ve got a 16-year-old boy who’s got heaps of problems – he’s got ADHD and other issues – and he’s effectively just been abandoned again which is part of the reason why these young people seem to just get back into trouble,” he said.

During his sentencing, Judge Burnett said his criminal history showed a worrying pattern, with one specific example showing he had been sentenced in court on one morning and by the afternoon he was back committing crimes.

“Ultimately, you’ve got to make your own opportunities in life … and although it’s more difficult for you than it is for mostly, it means you’ve just got to work harder and focus harder,” he said.

The 16-year-old pleaded guilty to attempted robbery, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and burglary.

His 352 days spent in pre-sentence custody was declared as time served.

He was sentenced to 20 months jail, with a release date set after serving 12 months.

Convictions were recorded and he was declared a serious repeat offender.

Originally published as 16-year-old boy sentenced in Townsville District Court for home invasion’s and attempted robbery