‘We don’t need another taskforce’: Parent wants stronger charges after soccer field mayhem

A Townsville parent is calling for stronger charges and planning civil action after an afternoon of vehicular mayhem that endangered children’s lives.

THE outraged father of one of the children allegedly targeted by two stolen vehicles during a horrifying drive through a packed football field has called for more serious charges to be brought against those responsible.

Alan Birrell, who was not present at the incident on Wednesday afternoon at a Burt St soccer field but arrived in the aftermath, says his son is still traumatised by the horrific event.

“I’ve already been down to the Stuart Police Station to lay a complaint of attempted murder against the life of my son,” Mr Birrell said.

“I believe that there’s a strong case to be made that there’s an element of intent involved here.

“According to the parents who were there, these kids were leaning out the window, taunting and yelling and saying they’d run people down if they didn’t get out of the way.”

Mr Birrell’s anger was further inflamed after heading home from the scene of the incident with his son, only for a house on their street to later be broken into by the same youths.

“My neighbours were broken into by the same people that night. Police confirmed that it was one of the stolen vehicles from the field that was involved,” Mr Birrell said.

“I think we have to insist that they charge them on the available charges.”

Alan Birrell

Mr Birrell said he was “fed up” with how the situation in Townsville had developed over the past few years.

“The degradation we’ve seen over time, and the things we’ve seen in the escalating crime figures are one thing,” he said.
“But now the kids are being targeted on their sports fields. It’s a whole different level.

“There’s been so many groups and crime alerts and everyone has tried to raise the issue. Nothing gets done. We just have another task force or another operation and something else happens.

“It’s not just the people directly affected, I think every parent in Townsville must be looking at this and thinking it’s beyond the pale.”

Mr Birrell said the response from police so far to the incident had left him unimpressed.

“Chief Superintendent Hanlon said he’d issued a stern warning. That’s incredible that is his response.

“It would have been catastrophic if one of those cars had rolled. Parents don’t know where there kids will be safe anymore.

Alan Birrell

“The ineffectiveness of everything that’s been done and said by the government, it’s something the whole community are affected by.”

Police on Friday charged a 14-year-old boy in relation to the incident and have alleged the 14-year-old was driving one of the stolen cars.

The teenager was charged with one count each of dangerous operation of a vehicle, enter premises with intent, unlicensed driving and two counts of unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

‘My son wakes up screaming’: Parents of traumatised children demand action

CARS careen across sporting fields as screaming children no older than 12 duck for cover and run to safety.

Parents narrowly avoid being killed as the drivers of out of control vehicles yell insults and taunts at their terrified victims. Sporting equipment is crushed under the weight of tonnes of squealing metal.

This is the horrifying reality of life in Townsville that outraged parents are demanding be changed.

Two stolen cars terrorised children who were training at a Burt Street soccer field in Aitkenvale on Wednesday afternoon.

Football Queensland technical manager Michael Edwards and Mel Chun Tie at the MA Olympic Football Club grounds in Aitkenvale where the attack occurred. Picture: Evan Morgan

Mel Chun Tie said the shocking video footage captured by a bystander doesn’t come close to capturing how it felt to actually be there.
“It started like any other normal soccer training, just like the week before and then it turned into something traumatising for everyone there,” Mrs Chun Tie said.

“There was about 50 kids there, all between 10 and 12. It’s horrifying to me and absolutely infuriating.”

She witnessed the horror show first hand and said that her children, or another families’ could easily have been killed if it weren’t for the Football Queensland staff.
“The cars came in such proximity to the kids, it was scary for everyone, but I can’t commend Queensland Football enough. They herded the children to safety very quickly,” Mrs Chun Tie said.

“To think how differently things could have panned out – as the cars circled around, they got more confident and started leaning out the windows. They were yelling and taunting, they knew they were scaring our kids.

“I’ve lived in Townsville long enough and I don’t live under a rock, I know we’re under siege with these crimes daily, but this is so much more disgusting to me.”

Mrs Chun Tie said the car at one point veered towards her and another parent, leaving her frozen ‘in ice’.

“I just wonder at what point is something going to be done, is it going to take another soccer field, another training session and for a child or adult to be harmed for the powers that be to actually do something about it.”

One parent narrowly avoided being struck by the Toyota while attempting to intervene. Picture: Supplied

She said one of the cars had passed within a metre of the assembled children and could easily have rolled.

“If we’d had the rain we’d had last week, this could have been a very different ending.”

Another parent, Amanda, who requested her last name not be published, said her child had been left traumatised by the experience.

“My kids are exhausted,” she said.

“My son has been up screaming in his sleep all night. This morning we heard about other incidents in Riverway over the radio and I had to shut it off to stop him panicking.

“This needs to end here. We don’t need funding or talking. We need action. We need accountability.”

Football Queensland’s Michael Edwards, who was present during the attack, said the organisation would be looking to move the program to a more secure field with fencing.

Originally published as ‘We don’t need another taskforce’: Parent wants stronger charges after soccer field mayhem