Townsville victim blasts MP Harper’s dismissive comments amid rising youth crime crisis

A victim of youth crime who braved his injuries to attend a youth crime rally has blasted Labor over its “rent-a-crowd” sledge.

Townsville youth crime victim, Karl Boevink, has slammed Queensland Labor MP Aaron Harper for his dismissive comments regarding attendees at a youth crime rally.

The comments made on the Today Show come less than a week after Mr Boevink was struck by three teenagers in a stolen ute.

Karl Boevink attending a youth crime rally at Qld Country Bank stadium in Townsville. Photo: Scott Radford-Chrisholm.

Mr Boevink, 27, who was hospitalised due to the incident, braved his injuries and attended the rally held at Townsville’s Queensland Country Bank Stadium on Sunday while Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and her ministers were attending a community cabinet meeting at the venue.

Ms Palaszczuk did not attend the rally and instead sent Labor backbencher Aaron Harper as her representative to face the crowd.

Mr Harper referred to the 150-strong assembly as “bloody LNPs” and an “old rent-a-crowd”.

“I would have stood up broken leg and all to testify against that, especially for somebody that went through what I went through,” Mr Boevink told The Today Show’s Karl Stefanovic.

“(Calling us rent-a-crowd) now, that is completely disrespectful, and wrong.”

Karl Boevink addresses the crime rally. Photo: Scott Radford-Chrisholm.

Mr Boevink told The Today Show of the devastating impact youth crime was having on his community.

“It’s about us as Australians, because at the end of the day, they’re affecting the community,” he said.

“They’re seeking to destroy us – our freedoms, everything that we’re fighting for, our very own assets, things that are hard earned like, this vehicle was worth $65,000 and they used it to maim me, this is somebody’s livelihood.

“They have no disregard the life and death, no disregard for that person, or Australia and all that good as unlawful use of a motor vehicle”.

Mr Boevink said the fact that Mr Harper was the only politician who addressed the crowd proved the state government was out of touch and unwilling to address community concerns.

The crime rally at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville on Sunday.

He urged the government to implement stronger measures, including vehicular manslaughter charges, to hold youth offenders accountable.

“Seeing the whole community in pain, I knew that me being out here, pushing past all this pain, was for that reason,” he said.

Mr Boevink was hit by a stolen Nissan Navara while on his way to pick up his partner on October 24.

Labelling it a “deliberate attack”, he expressed his astonishment when two of the accused teenagers were released on bail.

“How could they target somebody with no intent behind them, how could they target an innocent person,” he said.

“And for the kids try and start the car again, to try and finish the job really instilled that they didn’t care.

“I knew the second that I get out of this and that I was lucky to live given the circumstances.”