Teen home invader bailed despite magistrate admitting the public would want him locked up

A magistrate has sensationally bailed a teen who broke into a Brighton home and stole a luxury car despite admitting the public would want the boy locked up – and that he agreed with them “100 per cent”.

A magistrate has sensationally bailed a teen home invader despite admitting the public would want him locked up because they were “totally over” seeing the offending on a daily basis – and that he agreed with them “100 per cent”.

The 15-year-old stole a Mercedes during a home invasion on a Brighton home last month, leading police on a one-hour chase at up to 240km/h and sometimes on the wrong side of the road, all while already on bail.

The magistrate told the boy: “If you haven’t watched TV, everyone is over it. The whole of Melbourne is over it.

“If I took a poll outside at the moment they would say lock (him) up for as long as you possibly can. Simple as that!

“I agree 100 per cent we are totally over seeing this behaviour on a daily basis. Daily. Every day. We are over it.

“You were living the free life. And now you are staring down some serious offending. That’s the type of offending that we know can kill people.

“It can kill the driver. It can kill others.

“The public will be going ‘why is he given bail again?’.”

The Herald Sun’s call to action after latest bail madness. Picture: Herald Sun

The magistrate then released the teen back onto the streets after he had spent just 22 days in youth detention.

His victims have been left so terrified they have told police they don’t think they will ever be able to sleep in their home again.

The thug pleaded guilty in the children’s court on February 20 to aggravated burglary, attempted aggravated burglary and multiple car theft and driving offences.

The court heard he had been with three co-accused when they forced their way into the Orchard St home about 1.15am on January 29, finding the keys to three luxury cars – a Porsche, Mercedes and a Land Rover – and taking off in the vehicles.

The victim was able to log into his Mercedes tracking app, providing live updates to police on the location of the vehicle.

The police Airwing chopper tracked the teen for more than an hour as he raced the Mercedes from Frankston to Melbourne’s CBD, then back out along the Mornington Peninsula Freeway at speeds of up to 240km/h.

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Other motorists were forced to take evasive action as the car was seen driving on the wrong side of the road.

Officers swooped and dragged him from the car when he ran out of fuel near the exit ramp at Carrum Downs about 3am.

A ziplock bag containing drugs was found in a bag over his shoulder.

The court heard the thug, who is not enrolled in school, had initially arrived in the Brighton area in a VW Polo Golf, stolen from an aggravated burglary five days earlier in Mt Eliza.

About 45 minutes before the Orchard St burglary, he had also entered a parked Mercedes at a nearby property, ransacking everything inside, then walked down the street and attempted to gain entry to another home.

He had only been bailed on January 11 for other offending, including being in a stolen car with others, and using stolen credit cards.

His bail conditions had included not to associate with co-offenders, not to drive, not to be in certain areas and not to be in stolen vehicles – all of which he breached.

The police chopper tracked the teen for more than hour, as he was seen driving on the wrong side of the road.

The boy had only been bailed on January 11 for other offending. Stock image.

But the magistrate said it was the first time the youth had pleaded guilty and was facing sentencing.

“He’s got no priors – he’s very young,” he said.

“The offending is very serious, but a supervisory order is the likely first step in his disposition in this jurisdiction.

“The public might not understand that. But there is nothing extraordinary about that.

“Someone like (this boy) doesn’t get six or 12 months for his first offending.”

He said he would defer the teen’s sentencing until April to give him a chance to prove he could be of good behaviour and get his life back on track.

“His life of crime has to stop,” he said.

He said the boy was looking at being punished with a youth supervision order, where he would undergo drug and alcohol and behaviour change programs.

But he said if he stepped out of line between now and sentencing, he would send him back to detention.

“Do you promise to commit no further offending?” the magistrate asked the boy as he slumped back in his chair and thanked the magistrate for giving him bail.

“I promise,” the boy replied.

“Alright, I’m going to hold you to it,” he said.

The youth’s mother also promised she would alert police if her son stepped out of line.

“Any breach will be met with pretty harsh and swift treatment,” he said.

His bail conditions included no driving, drugs or associations with co-accused. He was also given an 8pm-6am curfew.

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Originally published as Teen home invader bailed despite magistrate admitting the public would want him locked up