Accused shirtless car thief ‘punched’ during alleged crime spree, court hears

A teen appeared in court shirtless with a facial injury after allegedly committing a string of crimes in Coffs Harbour on the weekend.

An attempted break-in, a car theft and a police pursuit – these were among a series of charges 19-year-old Kye Anthony Carr was faced with after police accused him of committing an alleged crime spree on the weekend.

The teen appeared to have a facial injury and was shirtless as he sat in the glass dock at Coffs Harbour Local Court on Monday morning following his arrest, where he made a bid for bail.

The court heard the Lowanna man had been in Coffs Harbour for the weekend when the alleged events unfolded.

He allegedly attempted to break into a home, with the prosecution telling the court it had been caught on CCTV.

It was heard that a short time later Carr allegedly took a vehicle from another nearby location but was confronted by the owner who tried to stop him by punching him through the open door.

Carr’s facial injury, the prosecution claimed, was the result of this.

Carr then drove away from the scene and became involved in an alleged police chase. Officers eventually arrested him a short distance from where the pursuit ended, it was heard.

The teen appeared in Coffs Harbour Local Court this week following his arrest.

He was charged with break and enter dwelling with the intent to steal, take and drive conveyance without the consent of the owner, police pursuit, and driving a vehicle without holding a licence.

The prosecution on Monday urged Magistrate Ian Rodgers not to grant Carr bail, saying that the community needed to be protected from him as he had a criminal history involving police pursuits, dishonesty and violence offences.

They said police had a strong case against him which included CCTV footage as well as some “admissions” Carr had allegedly made to police.

“I would submit that no bail conditions would be sufficient to mitigate the risks,” they said.

Carr’s lawyer however said the teen would struggle in custody due to his young age, and because he had never been in a prison environment before.

He argued that Carr shouldn’t have to “start serving a sentence before conviction.”

But Magistrate Ian Rodgers said Carr, and the level of danger of the alleged offences, posed an unacceptable risk. He was refused bail.

“You don’t start serving a sentence in relation to bail, that’s not what bail is about. Bail is about risk and community protection,” he said.

Carr will appear before the court again on August 9 via audiovisual link.