Teen ‘acted in a manner that appears to make a mockery of the police and judiciary system’

A magistrate has told a teenager she “hated” having to lock him up but that his alleged offending in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs was so dangerous it was lucky no one was injured.

Five teens have been charged with stealing a BMW that was driven at up to 180km/h during the alleged crime spree. Picture: Channel 9

A teenager allegedly involved in a series of armed robberies during a wild crime spree with four others in a stolen car was a ward of the state that had gone “missing” more than 30 times.

Police allege the child, 17 – one of five teens charged with armed robbery and theft of a 2021 BMW – had driven the stolen car at points during the night and reached speeds that exceeded 180km/h.

The group allegedly stole about $50,000 worth of cigarettes and cash on Tuesday night, targeting seven businesses across Melbourne’s eastern suburbs during a six hour period before they were arrested by police at the corner of Wellington Pde and Hoddle St.

The 17-year-old applied for bail at a children’s court on Thursday where it was heard that he was a ward of a state and had run off 36 times from residential care.

It was also revealed that he was on four counts of bail and that youth justice did not support his latest bail application.

In their opposition to bail, a police officer said that the boy posed a significant community risk and behaved “in a manner that appears to make a mockery of the police and judiciary system”.

“He is seeking to brag about the offending … he is the oldest offender in this group so his behaviour is rubbing off on others,” the police officer said.

The court heard the boy has had 37 placements in the residential care system and was “extremely vulnerable”.

The boy was refused bail and remanded to appear at a children’s court next month.

The magistrate told the child that she “hated having to lock” him up but that his alleged offending was “so serious and dangerous” that it was “lucky” no one was injured.

The court heard the group also allegedly live streamed the chase to social media and “almost hit pedestrians” on multiple occasions as they sped through the CBD trying to avoid police.

The alleged offenders were captured on CCTV at several of the businesses allegedly targeted wearing balaclavas.

At one store in Boronia the group allegedly stole $13,000 worth of cigarettes and $1000 cash.

A bail application for one of his alleged co-accused – a 15-year-old boy – was also heard at a children’s court on Thursday

The court heard the 15-year-old was on three counts of police bail at the time and has 15 matters before the courts.

He was also charged with armed robbery and theft of a motor vehicle, allegedly holding a large knife at times during the crime spree on Tuesday.

He too was refused bail, with an application made for his bail to be heard by a magistrate at a later date.

It comes as a 14-year-old boy and 16-year-old boy allegedly involved in the robberies received bail on Wednesday.

Another 16-year-old was refused bail on Tuesday night.