Teen home invader sentenced and released back onto Melbourne streets, despite ‘horrendous’ offending

A teen crim who was sensationally bailed despite the magistrate admitting the public would want him locked up has been “treated as a 15-year-old with no priors” in sentencing and released.

A teenage home invader who was sensationally bailed despite the magistrate admitting the public would want him locked up has not been treated as a “serious youth offender” as he was released for “horrendous and life threatening offending”.

In a children’s court sentencing hearing on Friday, Magistrate Darrin Cain told the boy his crimes had been “truly reckless, dangerous and life threatening for himself and others”.

The teenager had been thrown back into detention for ramming a police car just days after being bailed in March for stealing a Mercedes during a Brighton home invasion.

In that incident, he also led officers on a one-hour chase at speeds up to 240km/h while sometimes on the wrong side of the road.

“I couldn’t even add up the number of people’s lives he put in jeopardy, not including his own life,” Mr Cain said.

“It’s horrendous offending … It cannot happen again.”

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

Despite this, Mr Cain said the teen was “not categorised as a serious youth offender” and he would be treating him as a “15-year-old with no priors”.

“There is not offending that fits into that category,” he said.

He was initially facing 130 charges but negotiated them down to more than 100 in a plea deal.

The court heard the boy had started offending in mid-2024 before a “period of escalation” in March this year.

“It’s really life threatening stuff,” Mr Cain said.

“It’s serious enough to warrant youth detention.”

Despite this, he gave the boy a 12 month youth supervision order with conviction, taking into account the teen had already served 91 days in custody.

Mr Cain also warned the young crim to “stay out of trouble”.

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

“If we find him driving again, nobody is going to give him bail and he’s going to be staring down a lot longer than 90 days,” he said.

“He cannot get back into a car.”

On Friday, the boy’s lawyer argued against the magistrate’s decision to convict, saying it was

“against the principles of the act to minimise stigma”.

But Mr Cain said stigma was the “least of his problems”.

“He needs to know in a simple way … that this cannot happen again,” he said.

“If it happens again, 90 days will not even be a drop in the ocean for what he’s going to serve.”

The teen was also banned from driving for 12 months, meaning he won’t be allowed to apply for his learner’s driving licence on his 16th birthday like other kids his age.