Cairns court: Teen broke into 20 homes, stole 21 cars

A teenager who broke into more than 20 homes and stole 21 cars throughout Cairns with younger friends over one month was hurting from the death of his grandmother, a court has been told.

Jimmy Arthur Thowa Treloggen,18, admitted to breaking into or attempting to break into 27 houses throughout Cairns and to the unlawful use of 21 cars.

A teenager who broke into more than 20 homes and stole 21 cars throughout Cairns with younger friends over one month was hurting from the death of his grandmother, a court has been told.

Jimmy Arthur Thowa Treloggen, 18, pleaded guilty to 52 offences of burglary at night, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, stealing and attempted entry, and was sentenced to two years’ probation and a suspended sentence of 20 months’ imprisonment.

Magistrate Jakub Lodziak, in sentencing Treloggen, described his crimes as “shocking”, saying the break-ins violated the victims’ “safe havens” of their homes.

“Causing grief to others is not an appropriate way to deal with your grief and I’m sure your grandmother would not be proud to hear you have been breaking into homes and stealing cars,” Mr Lodziak said.

“Your offending has affected very many people in the Cairns community. What makes this high number of offences even more shocking is that you committed all of these offences within the space of one month.”

Jimmy Arthur Thowa Treloggen, 18, committed a “shocking” number of offences in one month, the court was told.

Police prosecutor David Epstein said the offences happened at all hours of the night between February 10 and March 10, 2025, often while the victims were at home, and usually in the company of other teenagers.

Defence solicitor Ashley Raymond said Treloggen had not been to prison before, but had fallen in with a crowd of teenagers doing break-ins after experiencing family trauma.

He said Treloggen had begun hanging out with the children because he was trying to escape the overcrowded house in which he was living, and sleeping on a couch.

Mr Raymond said Treloggen had a wake-up call from spending 49 days in prison on remand, seven of which were spent in the watch-house.

Treloggen was determined to leave crime behind, he told the court, and wished to get a job and a house of his own.

Magistrate Jakub Lodziak said Jimmy Arthur Thowa Treloggen had taken responsibility for his crimes, even confessing to break-ins the police had not been aware he committed.

Mr Lodziak said prison was a last resort for young offenders, as guided by the Court of Appeal, and noted that Treloggen had family support, shown maturity, confessed to crimes the police had not been aware of, and had good prospects of rehabilitation.

He warned Treloggen that one jailable crime – even unlicensed driving – would likely land him back in prison.

He sentenced Treloggen to 20 months’ prison, suspended for two years after the 49 days he had already served, and to two years’ probation.

Treloggen was also ordered to pay $497 in restitution to one of the victims, which was said to be his “share” of the replacement costs for a laptop and iPad that was stolen.

He said the prison term would “hang over” Treloggen’s head for the next two years.

“If you are facing challenges, crime is certainly not the way to deal with them” Mr Lodziak said,

“It’s going to be up to you now whether you show her and the rest of your family and our broader community that you have learnt from this and can again make your family and yourself proud, or not.”

Originally published as Cairns court: Teen broke into 20 homes, stole 21 cars