Annastacia Palaszczuk cracks down on young criminals

Juvenile offenders on serious charges will be denied a presumption of bail in Queensland amid outrage over recent deaths.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk watches Assistant Commissioner Cheryl Scanlon as she speaks during a press conference in Brisbane. Picture: Dan Peled

Repeat juvenile offenders charged with serious offences will be denied a presumption of bail, and parents will be required to vouch for their children under new powers handed to Queensland courts and police by the Palas­zczuk government.

In a suite of changes aimed at cracking down on repeat offenders, 16 and 17-year-olds released on bail will be required to wear GPS tracking devices, and a parliamentary inquiry will examine the implementation of remote engine immobilisers.

Police will be given metal detecting wands to target knife crime on the Gold Coast, and anti-hooning laws will be strengthened to hold registered owners of a vehicle responsible, except where it has been stolen.

Kate Leadbetter and Matt Field died after being hit by a stolen car. Picture: Supplied

The changes come following the deaths of Kate Leadbetter, 31, and her partner, Matt Field, 37, who were hit by a stolen car, and Jennifer Board, 22, who died on Friday after she was hit by a car allegedly driven by vigilantes chasing a stolen vehicle.

“The community expects us to do more and that is exactly what we will do,” Premier Annas­tacia Palaszczuk said on Tuesday. “Families have been shattered, lives have been lost.”

Ms Palaszczuk said the new laws, to be introduced into parliament this month, will target a cohort of 10 per cent of offenders who were responsible for 48 per cent of juvenile crime.

Assistant Police Commissioner Cheryl Scanlon will oversee the Youth Crime Taskforce, and former police commissioner Bob Atkinson will conduct a review of the measures in six months.

Police Minister Mark Ryan said the reforms were designed to hold young offenders accountable for their actions.

Youths charged with crimes while on bail will have to prove to a court they are not a risk to community safety in order to be granted bail. They will also need assurance from a parent or guardian that they will be given support while on bail.

The 17-year-old accused of murdering Ms Leadbetter and Mr Field was on Tuesday charged with eight new offences but he will not be charged with the murder of the couple’s unborn son, Miles.

The boy, who cannot be named, has been charged with two counts of murder and offences relating to the theft of the car he was driving when he lost control in Alexander Hills on January 26.

Meanwhile, Christopher ­Hughes, 25, an alleged vigilante pursuing a stolen vehicle in Townsville when he lost control of the car he was driving and hit and killed Ms Board, who was riding a motorbike, has been charged with her murder.

The driver of a stolen Hyundai, 18-year-old Gregory Clubb, has been charged with various theft-related offences. Two teenagers have been arrested, and a 15-year-old charged, for allegedly breaking into the home of Ms Board after she was killed.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said the Liberal Nat­ional Party would support the government’s measures and further called on breach of bail to be reinstated as a criminal offence: “We will not stand in the way of the government implementing their plan to address youth crime,” he said.