Teen thug thumbs nose at Victoria’s weak youth bail laws as he drives alleged stolen car

A teen criminal has filmed himself openly bragging about the state’s youth bail laws while behind the wheel of an alleged stolen car, declaring he can “get away” with breaking the law.

A teenage criminal has openly bragged about the state’s youth bail laws while filming himself driving a stolen car.

The 16-year-old publicly mocked the court system and police force in a live social media video as he drove a stolen Holden throughout the city over the weekend.

“Just so you know, the Victoria Police and the Victorian justice system is f---ed bro,” he said, holding his phone in one hand and steering with the other.

“I do this because I can get away with doing this.

“Listen, if I get arrested, I get released in an hour and a half.

“I do this... in public, cameras, broad day(light), I don’t care.”

The 16-year-old said fellow teenage thugs knew how the courts and magistrates dealt with teen offenders.

A teen criminal has openly bragged about the state’s youth bail laws while filming himself driving an alleged stolen vehicle. Picture: file image

He said constant reoffending “teaches the courts” to remand and lock up offenders.

He even asked how teenagers charged with attempted murder could be released back into the community “within a month”

“Doing this teaches the courts, they need to up their f---en game,” he added.

“These children are outsmarting them, bro. We’re doing crime and we get no time.

“How many times have those Springvale (redacted) got locked up for stabbings and attempted murders and gotten out within a month?”

Victoria Police’s Operation Trinity, a dedicated operation targeting young car thieves across the city, continues to arrest huge numbers of young offenders.

“As a result of this intense focus, police arrested 673 burglars and car thieves almost 1550 times over the 12 months to September 2024,” Victoria Police said in a statement.

The state government said offenders caught boasting about the crimes online could receive an extra five years on their jail sentences.

“Offenders who boast about their crimes by posting on social media can face tougher sentences,” a spokesperson said.

“Any crime is unacceptable. Victoria Police are focussed on dangerous and high-risk behaviour, with dedicated operations like Operation Trinity, working to target individual offenders and dismantle groups of young offenders who commit serious crimes.

“We’ve recently passed landmark youth justice laws, which will also deliver tougher consequences for those who engage in serious, high-risk and repeat offending.”

The teen behind the wheel declare he can get away with breaking the law even after being arrested. Picture: file image

The Herald Sun last week revealed the state government had introduced a specialist youth crime magistrate to deal with serious repeat offenders.

Magistrate Julie O’Donnell will ensure repeat offenders have their cases heard and will make an effort to have them heard by the same magistrate.

More than 100 children aged between 10 and 17 were involved in at least 30 crimes each last year.

That number has tripled over the past five years.

The 103 repeat offenders recorded last year carried out at least 3090 crimes in 2024 alone, an average of eight offences per day.

The Victorian courts have been lashed by the police union and Opposition for what they have branded a “revolving door” of bail that has allowed teenagers to continue committing crimes while facing charges for previous offending.

Annual crime figures published by the Crime Statistics Agency last month showed children aged between 10 and 17 years old were offending at their highest rate since 2009.