Townsville crime: Demi Tudehope sleeps with car keys under pillow after terrifying car theft

A young Townsville woman has been left so terrified after thieves swiped her car that she’s now sleeping with her car keys under her pillow for safety. Find out what happened to her.

LNP candidate for Mundingburra Janelle Poole with victim of crime Demi Tudehope. Picture: Evan Morgan

A young Townsville woman has been left so terrified after thieves swiped her car that she’s now sleeping with her car keys under her pillow for safety.

Kirwan resident Demi Tudehope, 19, has spent the past six weeks relying on friends and colleagues to get to and from work after thieves made off with her Toyota Kluger on May 4.

Next week, she’s finally set to get her keys and independence back.

“If I didn’t have my friends to help me out, I would have had to rely on taking buses, taxis and Ubers … it’s quite expensive,” Demi said.

But the ordeal has left the teen scarred, feeling unsafe in her own home.

“Some nights, I don’t really feel safe in my own house,” she said.

“I have that thought lingering at the back of my mind (they might come back). At the moment, I’ve been borrowing my friend’s car and … sleeping with the key under my pillow to be extra safe.”

LNP candidate for Mundingburra Janelle Poole said victims’ rights would be prioritised over offenders in the Making Queensland Safer laws, which have yet to be released.

“We know that in 2023, 1945, motor vehicles were stolen here in Townsville, that is, 1945 victims, and each one of those victims has a story to tell,” she said.

With the state election looming, Shadow Minister for Police Dan Purdie faced tough questions in Townsville on why the LNP still hadn’t released much detail on their youth crime policy.

He promised it would be out soon, insisting they’re still putting the “finishing touches” on it.

Shadow Minister for Police Dan Purdie in Townsville. Picture: Evan Morgan

“Watch this space — I can tell you we are working tirelessly on it,” Mr Purdie said.

“This is not a thought bubble type sort of process. We appreciate that should we win government in October, we have a very privileged position to be in, and I’m confident we can drive down crime. We are working tirelessly at the moment on policies that will do that.”

He vowed the policies would be announced “long before the election to give people time to absorb it and understand it.”

“We’re going to put victims of crime front and centre,” Mr Purdie said.

“I don’t want to go into too much detail about the legislation, but section 150 of the Youth Justice Act has sentencing parameters and sentencing provisions, and victims are only mentioned low down at the tail of that.”

He criticised the current Youth Justice Act, arguing for urgent reforms. He highlighted issues such as the reinstatement of detention as a last resort, inadmissibility of childhood guilt in adult court, closure of the Children’s Court, and the removal of boot camps for early intervention and rehabilitation. He pledged to restore laws to support police effectively.

Originally published as Townsville crime: Demi Tudehope sleeps with car keys under pillow after terrifying car theft