Ram-raider’s bid for leniency fails as judge backs tough new youth crime laws

A teenage boy involved in a shocking ram-raid spree has failed to overturn his detention order, after a judge ruled the sentence was justified under Queensland’s new youth justice laws. His lawyers think it’s “excessive”. See why.

A teenager was sentenced after a ram-raid spree which caused $18,000 in damages to BP Merinda

A teenage boy involved in a shocking ram-raid spree has failed to overturn his detention order, after a judge ruled the sentence was justified under Queensland’s new youth justice laws.

The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, recently asked the court to review the 12-month detention sentence he received in the Townsville Children’s Court on February 13.

His lawyers argued the sentence was “excessive”, pointing to issues raised in a pre-sentence report and submissions made during sentencing.

However, Judge Bradley Farr SC, sitting in the Children’s Court of Queensland, dismissed the application, finding that “no inherent unfairness” arose during his sentencing in Townsville.

“The information before the court demonstrated that the applicant had, at the time of committing the offences, no regard for the property of others nor for the financial harm his actions would cause, but that he, in the time that has passed, may now be remorseful for his behaviour and its consequences,” he said.

The court heard the boy and a group of others used a stolen Holden Barina to smash into four Bowen businesses early on Christmas Eve 2024.

District Court Judge Bradley Farr.

They targeted an IGA supermarket, two service stations, and another store, stealing tobacco, vape products and cash.

The damage to the businesses was estimated at more than $51,000.

At the time of the offending, the boy was 15-years-old. He already had a criminal record for a similar offence a month earlier, where he had broken into another premises and was given a Restorative Justice Order.

In February, he was sentenced to 12 months’ detention with release after 51 days under supervision.

Because he had already spent time on remand, he was released immediately after the sentencing.

He was sentenced on one count of unlawful use of a motor vehicle in company, two counts of entering premises with intent to commit an indictable offence, and two counts of entering premises and committing an indictable offence by break.

In the review application, his lawyers argued that he should have only received a probation order instead, highlighting a pre-sentence report detailing his exposure to substance abuse, unstable living arrangements, and the death of his mother in 2020.

They also submitted that the report was incomplete because the boy had not been directly interviewed due to severe weather events at the time.

Judge Farr rejected those submissions, finding the pre-sentence report complied with legislative requirements.

He also addressed concerns they raised that the sentencing Magistrate had made an error by assuming that the IGA store was locally owned and that the owners suffered particular harm.

“The undisputed facts in this matter unambiguously demonstrate that the applicant’s offending conduct caused significant damage to premises (and, for that matter, to the vehicle), all of which would have been expensive to repair,” he said.

“That such damage and theft would cause ‘stress and trauma’ to the people that own the businesses is obvious.”

He said the Townsville Magistrate had properly applied the new youth justice laws, which removed the rule that detention should only be used as a last resort and put victims’ impact front and centre.

The application was formally dismissed.

Originally published as Ram-raider’s bid for leniency fails as judge backs tough new youth crime laws