Boy, 13, charged over alleged Brisbane, Ipswich police chase was out on bail at the time

A 13-year-old boy who was one of six young teens charged over a wild police chase in Brisbane and Ipswich on the weekend is a serial bail breacher who was last sentenced just two weeks ago, a court has heard.

The vehicle stopped after police deployed a tyre deflation device. Picture: File photo/Glenn Campbell

A 13-year-old boy who was one of six young teenagers charged after a wild police chase in Brisbane and Ipswich over the weekend has been revealed in court as a serial bail breacher who was out on bail at the time for multiple charges including armed robbery.

The boy, who is accused of being a passenger in the allegedly stolen vehicle which police claim went more than 130kmh and ran multiple red lights Saturday night, faced Ipswich Children’s Court on Monday via video link from custody, where it was heard he had 40 breaches of bail this year alone.

It comes as the 13-year-old driver of the car from Saturday’s chase pleaded guilty to his three charges, including unlawful use of a motor vehicle, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and evade police.

The driver also appeared before Ipswich Children’s Court on Monday for a bail application and to plead guilty to his charges.

The court heard he had been sentenced to a 12-month probation order less than 48 hours prior to Saturday’s car chase.

On that occasion, he had been sentenced in Beenleigh in relation to 12 charges of unlawful use and three breaches of bail.

The court heard the driver had also previously been charged for driving without a licence on three separate occasions.

In regards to the weekend’s chase, police allege that at 10.40pm Saturday police attempted to intercept a Mitsubishi ASX at Willawong in Brisbane’s southwest, which they believed to have been stolen from a Browns Plains car park the previous night.

They allege the vehicle failed to stop and Polair tracked the vehicle through Inala and Oxley before heading west along the Ipswich Motorway.

At 11.10pm, a tyre deflation device was deployed on Brisbane Rd at Dinmore, but the car continued back on to the motorway before stopping.

Police arrested a 13-year-old who they claimed to be the driver and five passengers, including the 13-year-old alleged passenger on bail, with their ages ranging between 13 and 15 years old.

Each was charged with unlawful use of a motor vehicle, while the alleged driver was also charged with dangerous operation and evade police.

No pleas other than the driver’s have been entered.

The lawyer for the 13-year-old alleged passenger on Monday sought to allow the boy to be released from custody, under a 24-hour curfew and enforced no contact with his co-accused.

She said that he was recognised as vulnerable, being under 14 years of age, and also having both ADHD and autism.

However, Magistrate Rob Turra said the boy, who appearing via video link from custody, had proven he could not adhere to curfew restrictions as well as the no contact order.

The boy was heard shouting over video, “but I will” in response to concerns over his ability to adhere to the conditions.

The prosecution said their office had “concerns” over the parents “questionable” control of the boy, if he were to be granted bail.

She said the boy had been sentenced to a 12-month probationary order on May 8, less than two weeks before the alleged car chase, and that sentencing had involved charges of a similar nature.

The court heard that the boy was out on bail at the time of the alleged car chase, for multiple charges, including of armed robbery.

Describing the alleged offending, Magistrate Rob Turra said the boy had been one of five passengers in the vehicle that had been travelling at speeds over 130kmh, and had run multiple red lights.

He said the car had continued driving after tyre deflation devices were deployed, bursting all four of the vehicles tyres, before eventually crashing.

He said that the boy, while vulnerable, posed too great a risk to the safety of the community and himself to be allowed on bail, and remanded him to custody until the next mention.

The boy’s matter was referred to the Brisbane Children’s Court for mention on May 27.

In regards to the 13-year-old driver, his lawyer told the court his family was struggling with “profound disappointment and sadness” at the boy’s actions, especially given how closely they occurred to his previous sentencing.

The lawyer said the family was motivated to do everything they could to assist the boy in abiding by the proposed bail conditions, including a 24-hour curfew and residential conditions.

However the prosecution said that his previous offending indicated he was not even able to comply with a 6am to 6pm curfew, and a 24-hour curfew would also likely not be complied with.

The prosecutor said he previously had residential conditions and was required to live with his parents, and that the parents had not been able to stop his reoffending on this occasion.

Magistrate Turra told the court that just one day prior to the car chase, the boy had been charged with 10 counts of unlawful use and a series of break and enters, though he did not elaborate on details.

“He just keeps on offending,” he said.

Magistrate Turra further revealed that it is alleged none of the occupants of the vehicle the boy was driving were wearing seatbelts.

He described his consideration of bail as a “risk assessment” given the boy’s young age, but ultimately refused bail.

The boy’s matter was listed for June 10.

The mother of another of the co-accused, a 15-year-old girl, exploded at Magistrate Rob Turra after he criticised her parenting decisions and denied the girl bail.

The girl was allegedly a passenger in the vehicle, and was on bail for 20 separate offences at the time of the alleged car chase.

She was also being dealt with for three unrelated charges of unlawful use.

The court heard that the girl had a five-page history of offending that included armed robbery, assault occasioning bodily harm and stealing, as well as unlawful use of motor vehicles.

The girl’s lawyer told the court that she had been on conditional bail in relation to charges dealt with in November 2024, with one condition prohibiting her from certain travel.

The court heard the girl’s mother made the decision in late 2024 to relocate the girl outside of those travel conditions, in an attempt to remove her from the “bad influences” that had seen her commit the offences, despite the no travel order in place.

Magistrate Rob Turra said the parents’ decision to move her made them “somewhat complicit”.

“She must have been (away) while she was wanted … so the family appears to be somewhat complicit in keeping her away from her obligations in court,” he said.

The court heard the girl had returned recently, which triggered the application of a warrant for the travel breach.

Magistrate Turra detailed the girl’s previous offending, outlining the five-page history and “swathe” of outstanding charges.

“If that isn’t a risk to the community I don’t know what is,” he said.

The girl was denied bail and her matter listed for May 26, which prompted tears and outpourings of “you’ll be ok” and “I love you” from the girl’s mother.

As the mother exited the courtroom, she exploded on the magistrate, saying his decisions were the reason young people reoffended.

“This is why kids keep doing this, because you keep doing what you are doing and they keep reoffending,” she said.

She could be heard shouting in increasing escalation as she was walked by a lawyer away from the courtroom.