Townsville youth crime victim Karl Boevink feels betrayed by teen’s ‘light’ sentence
A Townsville youth crime victim left court feeling let down by the sentencing of the teenage boy who was behind the wheel of a stolen car that ran him over. See why he feels his dreams were ‘ripped away.’
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A Townsville youth crime victim left court feeling let down by the sentencing of the teenage boy who was behind the wheel of a stolen car that ran him over.
Karl Boevink stood in court today to witness the sentencing of a teenage boy who, along with other youths, ran him over in a stolen Nissan Navara on October 24, 2023.
The incident occurred while Boevink was riding his motorbike down Riverway Dr, Condon, just before midnight.
The crash’s impact shattered Boevink’s left shinbone, necessitating emergency surgery and leaving him with lasting physical and psychological scars.
The aftermath of his injury has forced him to medically discharge from the Australian Defence Force, shattering his dreams of rising through the ranks in the Special Forces after showing great promise.
Nine months after the horrific crash, Boevink finally faced the young teenage driver who ran him over as he was sentenced in Townsville Children’s Court for grievous bodily harm with the use of a motor vehicle on Friday.
Supported by his mother and Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto, Boevink read out his victim impact statement, detailing how the incident had irreversibly changed his life.
“I had finally found my purpose in life (in defence),” Boevink told the court.
“Due to my exemplary service, I was given a posting order to South Australia, as I was hand-picked to play a role in implementing new engineer capabilities.
“In October 2023 … it was agreed I would also train for selection at my new posting. October was the first step toward my purpose in life.
“Or so I thought. October would be the end of my life. My aspirations of serving Australia in the Special Forces were ripped away from me. I will never be able to apply.
“The nature of my injury sustained from this crime is an injury I will carry for the rest of my life. The metal content in my leg, used to support both tibia and fibula, makes me ineffective as an operator.
“My mental health, and the psychological help to handle my altered mental state, due to the nature of this incident, is such a burden it’s affected my career as I’m medically discharging from defence … I no longer recognise the man I face in the mirror.”
Standing outside the courthouse, Mr Boevink expressed his dissatisfaction with the court’s decision, knowing the teenage offender would be released from custody and back out in the community soon.
The judge sentenced the boy to 15 months in detention for the grievous bodily harm charge, with him to be released under a conditional release from Friday after spending almost eight months in detention.
Mr Dametto voiced his surprise upon learning that the boy’s 72-hour release plan was still incomplete at the time of his sentencing.
“He’ll be going straight back into resi care, but we know for staff there’s no mechanism to keep that child under the roof at night if they want to leave,” he said.
“He’s basically been raised by the state. So while we can talk about taking a child off the parents if they’ve been neglected, what better has the state done as being a parent in this situation? I would say not much at all.”
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Originally published as Townsville youth crime victim Karl Boevink feels betrayed by teen’s ‘light’ sentence
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