‘Wanted to feel excitement’: 13-year-old rams cop cars for fun in stolen Mitsubishi Challenger

Queensland’s chief judge has appeared in Townsville to deal with a 13-year-old girl who went on a rampage in a stolen Mitsubishi, ramming police cars and taunting cops for needing a helicopter to find her.

A Queensland Police helicopter usually stationed at Townsville Airport was relocated to Cairns for an undetermined period of time in May. The relocation of aerial policing resources comes at the request from senior Cairns officers following a spike in youth crime in the FNQ city. Picture: Brendan Radke

The Chief Judge of Queensland has appeared in Townsville to deal with a 13-year-old girl who rammed police with a stolen Mitsubishi and taunted cops for needing a helicopter to find her.

The girl, who we’ll refer to as CB, was finally located by police hiding in a toilet at the Townsville Shopping Centre, formerly Stocklands, and delivered a verbal spray at police, calling them ‘pigs’, ‘sl-ts’ and ‘p--sies’.

According to Crown prosecutor Terrance McCosker the 13-year-old also said: “Ah, be f--ked, at least I had my fun” once caught.

“The defendant told police ‘yeah, I was driving, I wasn’t trying to kill yas (sic) but f--k you,” Mr McCosker said.

She also told police to “wait till she gets out” and threatened to ram their vehicles again.

The 13-year-old was driving a black Mitsubishi Challenger, similar to the one pictured here.

The 13-year-old was transported to Cleveland Youth Detention Centre, where she has spent the last 176 days.

The situation all kicked off on January 31 when CB received the keys belonging to a stolen Mitsubishi Challenger.

CB and two friends drove around Townsville until police located them at 10.30am in Garbutt, where CB proceeded to ram into the back of a marked patrol car while a passenger filmed.

That film was played in court, showing the girls giggling after hitting the back of the marked Toyota Camry while the children blasted ‘Lights Out’ by $tupid Young through the stolen car’s sound system and sang along.

The court heard at 11.06am CB was driving the Mitsubishi when a passenger threw an object at another police car, shattering the patrol car’s passenger window.

The police helicopter captured footage of CB driving head-on towards another marked police car, narrowly avoiding a collision.

“The defendant attempted to crash into the police car but pulled out at the last second, as if playing chicken with the police car,” Mr McCosker said of the incident.

“The offending seemed to be more something out of a blockbuster movie.”

A report submitted to the court identified an “absence of structure and boundaries” during adolescence and a negative peer group, alongside being taught by family to not trust police as the catalysts for CB’s offending.

CB spent 176 days in youth detention following the dangerous driving incidents. PICTURE: MATT TAYLOR.

Mr McCosker said CB told police the offending was “fun” and done to “experience excitement”.

Defence barrister Kelly Stone said CB “wanted to feel excitement due to her hardships”.

“I couldn’t get to the bottom of the attitudes to police, apart from the fact that’s just what she knows (from home),” Mr Stone said.

“She said that’s just what she’s taught, that police are … not to be trusted.”

Mr Stone said his client has gone “from pillar to post” between family members and has no stable home.

“When I spoke to her about that she said it’s been really stressing her out to go somewhere else,” he said.

“She wants to live in one place, and she wants to live with her nan.”

The girl hide from police inside a toilet cubicle in Stocklands, despite being banned from the premises previously.

Mr Stone highly recommended this living arrangement.

“Her nan has not been in trouble with the police and is a good role model,” he said.

“She will make her go back to school.”

Chief Judge Brian Devereaux said it seemed CB understood her actions caused suffering for the car owner whose Mitsubishi was stolen, but not police.

“You seemed to be struggling with caring very much about the police, which is a big mistake,” Judge Devereaux said.

“You might need the police one day.”

Judge Devereaux said it was really good to hear that CB attended the school inside Cleveland Youth Detention Centre and achieved “gold standard” behaviour in class.

CB pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a motor vehicle in company, dangerous driving and wilful damage in addition to receiving tainted property (the car keys), driving without a licence, entering Stocklands when she was banned, possessing scissors and a blade and having someone’s unopened mail.

CB was sentenced to six months of probation on top of the 176 days she had already served in custody.

Originally published as ‘Wanted to feel excitement’: 13-year-old rams cop cars for fun in stolen Mitsubishi Challenger