Kids caught after allegedly stealing keys and car from 90yo man
A trip to the shops has turned into a traumatic ordeal for an elderly man after a group of kid crims allegedly stole his car keys before stealing it and smashing it into another vehicle.
Cairns
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A trip to the shops has turned into a traumatic ordeal for an elderly man after a group of kid crims allegedly stole his car keys before stealing it and smashing it into another vehicle.
Police allege four teenage boys, one as young as 12, stole keys and a wallet from the pocket of a 90-year-old man who was walking through the Smithfield Shopping Centre about 9am on Thursday.
The boys then walked through the carpark clicking the vehicle’s remote control until they found the matching Toyota Rav4, driving off in the direction of Cairns City, police allege.
The stolen vehicle, that police allege was driven by a 12-year-old boy, sideswiped a Kia Sportage driving on Reservoir Road shortly after 9.30am while travelling into the CBD.
Four boys believed to be responsible were later found by police at Cairns Central Shopping Centre just after lunchtime and taken into custody.
All four of the boys have been involved with unrelated incidents dating back over the previous month, it’s alleged by police.
The two 14-year-old, one 15-year-old, and one 12-year-old boys have been charged with a total of four counts of unlawful use of motor vehicle, five counts of stealing, two counts of unlicensed driving, one count each of wilful damage, drive without due care and attention, fail to supply particulars, and sixteen counts of breach of bail.
As of Monday the March stolen car count hit 59 vehicles in a marked increase on the February total of 52 cars with a week in the month remaining.
So far this year 206 cars have been stolen in Cairns after a total of 850 were stolen during 2024.
The four juveniles have all been denied bail and will appear before the Cairns Childrens Court today, March 26.
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