Youth Justice crisis: Young teens get let off after 24-hour joyride across the city in stolen car

A Gold Coast MP says the government isn't handling the city's youth crisis properly after young teens who went on a joyride were let go without detention.  

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A 13-YEAR-OLD girl who said she was just “taking it for a spin” when she allegedly stole a Gold Coast mother’s car and went on a 24-hour rampage across the city was let go without detention, it has been claimed.

Mudgeeraba MP Ros Bates has accused the government of being “more concerned with hand wringing and social experimentation” over the incident.

A Bulletin report in January revealed the car was stolen from Merrimac and taken on a joy ride between Robina, Nerang, Southport, Mermaid Beach, Palm Beach and Elanora in a single day.

The group of young offenders who stole it – including the 13-year-old driver – were found still inside when it finally stopped in the Bunnings car park at Burleigh.

It’s understood some involved in the crime ad already been caught by police up to 20 times.

Ms Bates told the house: “We can see clearly (the girl) has no sense of responsibility for her actions, and the impact of her crime.

A Merrimac woman has had her car stolen and driven to multiple locations across the Gold Coast before it was found destroyed in the Burleigh Bunnings car park with multiple 12-13-year-old offenders inside. Photo: Supplied

“There were certainly no consequences for her.

“She was let off, straight from the court to the streets. It’s no wonder she’s notched up 20 crimes.

“When an offender is caught and arrested, citizens have the right to expect a commensurate punishment for the crime.

“Instead these thugs are released, with no penalty. No encouragement or incentive to change their ways.”

Queensland Police Services spokesperson said the Youth Justice legislation the police operate under "aims to divert youth away from the justice system wherever possible". 

"Data shows around 90 per cent of youth offender do not repeatedly offend, with many not reoffending after their first interaction with police," the spokesperson said. 

"There is a small percentage of youth offenders who continue on to repeatedly commit serious offences in our community.

"Bail decisions are based on a range of factors including the individual's criminal history and the nature of the specific accusations in each instance," they said. 

Youth Justice crisis: Gold Coast mum shares horror photos after car allegedly stolen by children as Mermaid Beach MP Ray Stevens speaks out

FIFTY hardened young crooks from Logan and the Gold Coast are responsible for a shocking crime wave of break-ins and stolen cars — and “they should be locked up”.

Mermaid Beach MP Ray Stevens has accused the Labor government of ignoring the plight of residents at Miami and north Burleigh along the coastal strip in his electorate.

Residents have contacted the Bulletin to voice their fears about personal safety on the eve of a Neighbourhood Watch meeting at Nobby Beach on March 3.

Mr Stevens told Parliament late on Tuesday: “The police advise me that 50 or so hardened youth criminals who are creating the problem — and they are aware of those young thugs — must be locked away from law-abiding society until their behaviour can be corrected. The police are aware and are working tirelessly for the community, but it is not their responsibility.”

Mermaid Beach MP Ray Stevens. Picture: Liam Kidston.

Outside the Parliament, Mr Stevens told the Bulletin the young offenders were “hardened kids” from Logan and the Coast who were arrested for crimes and then released back on the streets by the courts.

Police officers had told him “if you lock them away you fix the problem”.

He told Parliament the influx of troubled people with drug, alcohol and mental conditions in short-term accommodation in older Coast motels, in an unsupervised and unsupported capacity, had led to the residents feeling threatened, intimidated and unsafe.

After the state poll in October last year, Mr Stevens wrote to Housing Minister Leeanne Enoch and received what he considered was “an attacking political response” that failed to address the concerns of residents.

“We understand that troubled folk need care and attention, but to throw them into unsupervised and unsupported inappropriate accommodation because of a lack of proper alternatives provided by the Palaszczuk Labor government is a sad indictment of that government’s housing policy,” he told Parliament.

Police were aware that some of motel accommodation residents were repeat offenders unable to control their behaviour.

“They have increased their patrols to those areas in an effort to contain the issues. However, with the increased demand on police resources to man border closures and hotel quarantine duty, policing has become a case of satisfying those statewide health concerns first and other complaint issues are dealt with on a when-can-do basis,” Mr Stevens said.

The veteran MP is circulating a petition in the community calling on the government to take action and redirect government clients using the motel accommodation into supervised and supported accommodation.

A Merrimac woman has had her car stolen and driven to multiple locations across the Gold Coast before it was found destroyed. Photo: Supplied

Multiple 12-13-year-old offenders were still inside when the car was found. Photo: Supplied

“The combination of those troubled people and the youth crime outbreak on the Gold Coast has left residents feeling abandoned, forgotten and disillusioned about why they cannot feel safe in their own homes,” Mr Stevens said.

“One young woman, whom I cannot name, is so terrified that young vandals will return to attack her after stealing her car keys from her bedside table that she lives in a constant state of fear and sleeplessness. That criminal behaviour has to be curtailed.”

Nobby Beach Neighborhood Watch Community Group convenor Luke Henderson told members in an email that the group’s next meeting would address “the rise in local crime of late”.

“I intend to focus on this at the meeting to come up with ideas to protect the local residents and gain some comfort on how we might be able to take a bit more control of this situation before it gets out of hand,” he wrote.

EARLIER:

A woman’s car zipped between Robina, Nerang, Southport, Mermaid Beach, Palm Beach and Elanora on one day last month.

It finally stopped in the Bunnings car park at Burleigh — with the young crooks who stole the vehicle still inside.

The driver was 13 years old. When she was later cornered on social media about the theft she said: “I didn’t steal it, I just took it for a spin.”

Some of those involved in the crime have been pinged up to 20 times.

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Merrimac resident Belinda, who did not want her full name published, released photos of her horror 24 hours on January 16 to show the destruction juvenile offenders are dumping on innocent families.

Photos show the written-off Toyota SUV full of rubbish, 15 deodorant cans used for chroming and clothes.

The front of the car. Photo: Supplied

The rear of the car also suffered extensive damage. Photo: Supplied

“At first I was mad about my reputation (because) people were tagging me in social media and recognising my car,” Belinda said.

“Now I’m mad because, why do you even do this?

“My son found the girl on Instagram and he asked her. She said, ‘I didn’t steal it, I just took it for a spin’.

“It really disturbs me.

“They had smashed into something on both the front and back, reversed into something or someone, and I know they had a couple accidents in it.

It’s understood the group of children were still inside the car when police found it. Photo: Supplied

The car was completely trashed. Photo: Supplied

“When we went to look it was just trashed. One of the tyres was flat, there was extensive damage under the car.

“There was about 15 deodorant cans in the car, and my son said it was because they’d been chroming in the car.

“The man at the smash repair said they didn’t let me in the car because they saw crystallised something on the seats. There was mess and clothes.

“My car was immaculate and it was just disgusting.”

Belinda’s tale caused an uproar in Queensland Parliament on Tuesday when it was mentioned by Mudgeeraba MP Ros Bates.

Ms Bates asked Youth Justice Minister Leanne Linard: “Can the minister explain to Belinda from the Gold Coast, whose car was stolen, trashed and dumped, why the young criminals who stole her car were let off with a slap on the wrist despite it being their 20th criminal offence?”

Her question was ruled out of order and went unanswered.

Outside Parliament, Ms Bates told the Bulletin she was frustrated by Ms Linard’s responses during heated questioning.

“Labour has caused the problem, they’ve had six years to do something,” Ms Bates said.

Shadow Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Ros Bates. Pics Tara Croser.

“They brought in detention as a last resort and now we’re seeing a family being terrorised by these juveniles on the Gold Coast who know they’ll get a slap on the wrist.”

Ms Linard said in Question Time that youth justice needed “constant vigilance”.

“As offenders change the way they offend, we have to be flexible and respond,” she said.

“That is what government does. Government invests, it has a plan and it listens to the community and it responds. What it does not do is repeat the same thing which does not work.”

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