Fury at magistrate over mass release of Queensland teens

Queensland Deputy Premier ­Steven Miles has launched a scathing attack on a magistrate after she released 13 juveniles on bail from a Townsville watch-house.

Bed shortages in youth detention centres has forced authorities across Queensland to hold juveniles for weeks in watch houses. Picture: istock

Queensland Deputy Premier ­Steven Miles has launched a scathing attack on a magistrate after she released 13 juveniles on bail from a Townsville watch-house.

In a move that has enraged police, magistrate Viviana Keegan on Thursday night called for the alleged young offenders held in the watch-house to be brought to her courtroom and released.

Nine of the children were released from the watch-house and four were bailed from a detention centre. One of those granted bail is facing serious assault charges and another was arrested just hours after being released on ­alleged bail breaches.

The decision comes as bed shortages in youth detention centres have forced authorities to hold juveniles for weeks in adult watch-houses.

Mr Miles described the mass release as a “media stunt”.

“We’ve given (the courts) the tools and the resources now they need to act,” he said. “We cannot stand for a media stunt like this one from someone who clearly does not agree with our laws (that are) designed to keep dangerous offenders out of the community.”

Youth crime has been a major issue in the north Queensland city for several years, with recidivist youths stealing cars and breaking into homes.

MP Aaron Harper, whose electorate covers Townsville’s south, said the courts had “dropped the ball”.

“It was the wrong decision and I question whether the magistrate has got the pulse of Townsville,” he said.

“This is so far removed from reality, I am just so angry.”

Police Minister Mark Ryan said he was “personally frustrated” by the magistrate’s decision, adding that prosecutors would launch appeals.

“We have announced we will be constructing two new youth detention centres to create ­additional capacity, but until then if they need to be detained in a watch-house, that is where they will be detained,” he said.

The new youth prisons, to be built in Cairns and the southeast, do not have estimated completion dates.

Figures obtained by The Weekend Australian revealed 285 of the state’s 306 detention centre beds were taken on Friday.

Three years after the Palas­zczuk government said it was “solving the problem” of keeping children out of police watch-houses, at least 25 young people have this year been detained in the facilities for longer than three weeks.

The Queensland Police Service operation manual says children should not be held in a watch-house overnight, but this standard is being increasingly breached because of bed shortages in the state’s three youth ­detention centres.

Legal experts believe capacity problems have been exacerbated by changes to bail laws made by the Palaszczuk government in 2021, which has led to more young people being held on remand.

The number of special youth justice police prosecutors was ­increased at the same time to help police oppose more bail applications and appeal decisions by the courts.