Boy, 14, arrested for wild crime spree hours after being bailed and having close to 400 charges dropped because of age

One of the state’s worst child offenders – a 14-year-old boy living in state care – is accused of carrying out six armed robberies in as many hours after being bailed and having close to 400 charges dropped because of his age. Special Investigation into Victoria’s youth crime epidemic.

• Lawless Vic teens breaching bail every three hours

One of the state’s worst child offenders has had 388 charges struck out because of his age – with the 14-year-old allegedly going on to commit more terrifying armed robberies.

In the latest horrific spree, the boy is accused of committing six burglaries in six hours – including allegedly stealing a woman’s car at knifepoint and breaking into a couple’s home as their baby slept – just hours after he was bailed for other offences.

The boy’s case has sparked concerns that efforts to steer young repeat offenders away from violent crimes are failing.

The Herald Sun can reveal the notorious teen, who has escaped from residential care 23 times since December, is accused of being among a group that smashed into booze and lotto shops with a sledgehammer before he allegedly drove two stolen cars in a high-speed chase, involving helicopters, on February 27.

Victoria is grappling with a youth crime crisis. Picture: Supplied

Police, who stopped the stolen luxury cars with spikes, later found packets of sour patch lollies and a sledgehammer inside.

The boy, who has “extremely limited moral reasoning” and is “very well connected with many youth gang members”, sought bail again in April.

A magistrate, who refused his most recent bail bid, heard the teen – who is on a refugee visa – already had 388 criminal charges against him struck out since May 2021 due to the doli incapax rule.

The rule presumes children aged 10 to 14 can’t be held criminally responsible.

He was assessed as doli incapax as recently as October.

The boy is due to front court again later this month, where he is expected to apply for bail for new charges.

The Herald Sun understands that since the boy’s recent 14th birthday, he has been accused of three crime sprees this year alone – two of them while on bail.

In a children’s court hearing in April, the boy’s lawyer flagged recent changes to the Bail Act, which he said demonstrated “parliament has sent a clear message” that custody was a “last resort” for children.

But the magistrate refused the teen’s bid, saying it was “almost certain” that he would put the public at risk.

“I don’t think I’ve ever said that, in 14 years as a magistrate, I don’t think there’s any condition I can impose (to reduce the risk),” the magistrate said.

Her Honour noted the boy was also likely to continue absconding from residential care and was “more likely to get an education in custody”.

The 14-year-old has escaped from residential care 23 times since December. Picture: Supplied

The boy’s latest alleged offending occurred within hours of him being bailed in a children’s court on February 26.

Just after midnight, police alleged the 14-year-old, with four others, broke into a family home in Melbourne’s southeast wearing a grey hoodie wrapped around his face.

A couple and their baby were sleeping inside when the group walked through their garage and home, leaving without stealing any property.

Over the next five hours, the group is accused of smashing through the front windows of four stores with a sledgehammer.

At 6.20am, the boy is accused of breaking into the home of a woman in the same area, who believed it was her mother when she heard the sliding door open and confronted two offenders in her kitchen.

After they fled with her wallet and car keys she stood by her luxury vehicle in the driveway to stop it from being taken while on the phone to police.

But the alleged offenders then drove back to the house in another stolen car, and confronted the woman, screaming: “What the f--k are you doing” and ran at her with a knife.

The 14-year-old boy then allegedly got in the driver’s seat of her car and drove away.

Police tracked the vehicle with the Air Wing chopper, which saw it running red lights, driving over median strips and on to the wrong side of the road through several suburbs in Melbourne’s southeast before it was stopped with police spikes.

The boy was seen ditching the car and running to the other stolen vehicle, which was then also stopped with spikes before he ran into the home of a family known to him, the court heard.

He was found by police inside a bedroom changing clothes, while another boy in the bathroom allegedly stashed a knife behind the toilet – believed to be the same weapon used to hold up the woman at her home.

During April’s bail application, the magistrate apologised to the boy for not granting it to him.

“I can’t give you bail today, I’m sorry,” she said, explaining he was committing too many offences, “like almost every single day”.

“And until you find something else to interest you … I can’t let you be in the community because it’s just too risky for other people in the community, do you understand what I’m saying to you?”

The boy nodded.