Boy, 15, refused bail after allegedly crashing stolen car after police chase

A teenager who allegedly was behind the wheel of a stolen Jeep, leading police on a chase before colliding with another car, has wiped away tears after being refused bail in court.

A teenage boy allegedly crashed a stolen Jeep into a Mazda at the intersection of Southern Cross Dr and Ross Smith Cres in the Canberra Suburb of Scullin. Picture: Google Maps

A teenager who allegedly crashed a stolen Jeep after fleeing police sirens in Canberra this week has cried in court after he was denied bail.

ACT Policing allege the 15 year old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was accompanied by a 16-year-old boy crashed the stolen vehicle into a Mazda at Scullin on Tuesday night.

The alleged collision resulted in the Mazda driver being hospitalised with minor injuries.

At ACT Children’s Court on Thursday, Magistrate Lisbeth Campbell said it gave her “no great joy” to deny the 15-year-old boy bail.

The boy has been charged with driving unlicensed, dangerous driving, failing to stop for police and driving a motor vehicle without consent. He did not enter any pleas.

The boy’s lawyer Kat Duffy applied for bail on Thursday, which was not opposed by the prosecutor on the condition he lived with his father, not contact his co-accused, and not to drive, be in the driver’s seat of a car or possess keys for a car.

A teenage boy was seen wiping away tears when he was refused bail. Picture: Julia Kanapathippillai

Ms Campbell addressed the boy and said “How old are you mate?”, to which he replied “15”.

“How can you drive a car when you are 15?” Ms Campbell said.

The court heard the boy had other legal matters ongoing in NSW, including a current application for him to be remanded in custody.

Police allege the boy crashed the stolen car at the intersection of Southern Cross Dr and Ross Smith Cres (pictured) in Scullin on Tuesday night. Picture: Google Streetview.

A Child Youth and Protection Service (CYPS) worker told the court, to the best of her knowledge, the boy was ordered to either live with his grandma in NSW or his father in ACT under previous bail conditions.

The CYPS worker said earlier in the day the father had said he was not interested in taking on his son while on bail, but had changed his mind.

She also told the court the boy refused to live at residential centres for children at risk and was “likely to abscond” if bailed to live at one of those centres.

However Ms Campbell said the boy’s father’s recent change of heart was not promising.

“I’m very uncomfortable in releasing him … it causes me enormous anxiety,” she said.

The boy was seen first wiping his tears with sleeve, then when the magistrate said bail was refused he made a quick shout before crying with his head in his hands.

“(I have) concerns about his wellbeing if released,” Ms Campbell said.

She said if the boy’s father was willing to play a more active role her decision may have been different.

“(Otherwise) it‘s a 15 year old roaming the streets,” she said.