‘Out of control’ tatted up teenager sentenced to jail after committing 32 crimes in just months
She and a man broke into houses and stole cars. The court heard she acted as a getaway driver and at one stage managed to escape arrest even after police disabled the vehicle.
North
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A teenager who committed 32 crimes in a matter or months has been sentenced to jail but released on parole.
Charity Rose Renfrey pleaded guilty at Pine Rivers Magistrates Court to 32 charges including burglary, breaking and entering, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, drug possession and breaching bail.
The court heard Renfrey, 18, committed the 32 offences between February and June this year.
Renfrey has been in jail for 57 days on these charges.
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Magistrate Trevor Morgan said the seriousness of the break ins and car thefts meant Renfrey must be placed on a jail sentence despite still being a teenager.
The court heard on multiple occasions Renfrey and a man broke into houses and stole vehicles. On one occasion she and the man evaded police until their car was disabled.
Renfrey still managed to escape police with the help of the man she was with.
Mr Morgan said Renfrey “acted as a getaway” driver and helped “facilitate the commission of some of the offences.”
Her offending in the crimes was detected through her fingerprints as well as witness descriptions of her.
After she had been charged with these offences she repeatedly breached the conditions of her bail by not following a curfew, not appearing in court and seeing people bail conditions prohibited her from associating with.
Renfrey’s lawyer Emily O’Hagan said her client had a troubled upbringing after her mother left her “on the doorstep” of her aunt and uncle at just nine-months of age.
When she was nine-years-old Renfrey’s mother then passed away. By the age of 14, Renfrey had left home and spent time living on the streets.
Ms O’Hagan said while in jail for these charges was the first time Renfrey had been clean from drugs in four years.
Mr O’Hagan said Renfrey’s “life was completely spiralling out of control” while she committed these offences.
“It is gut wrenchingly sad to have to sentence anybody to prison, especially when it is a young person your age, and I don’t do it lightly,” he said.
“You have been out of control for some time probably aided by drug use and the people you have been associated with.”
Renfrey was sentenced to 10 months jail but released on parole immediately due to the 57 days she had already served. She was disqualified from driving for two years.