Hervey Bay teen sentenced for entering retirement homes, stealing car

A Qld youth’s late night break-in crime spree left one woman in shock when she woke to find him standing in her room, a court has heard.

The boy, appearing before Hervey Bay Children’s Court, pleaded guilty to entering a dwelling, possessing drug utensils and unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

A 16-year-old boy who stole from elderly people in their homes, including terrifying one victim when she woke while he was searching her bedroom, has been sentenced in court.

The boy, appearing before Hervey Bay Children’s Court, pleaded guilty to entering a dwelling, possessing drug utensils and unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

Police prosecutor Kim Hardwood said the victim in one of the matters was an 83-year-old man who lived at Fraser Shores Retirement Village.

About 11pm on August 2 the man went to bed at his unit with his wife, Sgt Harwood said.

The next morning they woke at 7am to find the front door of their villa open.

His wallet and car, along with its keys, were missing, she said.

The court heard the boy had broken into the villa and taken the car, “driving it throughout Hervey Bay”.

The car was later located by police.

CCTV footage was used to help identify the boy.

A separate incident the night before at a different retirement village in Hervey Bay involved an 81-year-old woman, Sgt Harwood said.

About 2am on August 1, the boy went into the woman’s dwelling and took a number of items, including $200 in cash.

During his search, the boy entered the woman’s bedroom and she woke to find the boy standing in her room.

She screamed and he fled, Sgt Harwood said.

The boy was identified through CCTV footage.

The woman later observed her garage roller door open, her backdoor open and front sliding door open.

She immediately called police and CCTV was used to identify the boy.

During a search of the boy’s address, police found an electric grinder and a bong in his bedroom.

The court heard the boy came before the court with a nine-page criminal history with similar offences.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared in court via videolink.

Defence lawyer Virginia Ukpabi said her client had gone through a restorative justice process with one of the victims.

Her client wanted to get job ready and work in construction, she said.

If he were to start working and making money, which would help him properly appreciate the value of other people’s items, Ms Ukpabi said.

Magistrate Trinity McGarvie spoke directly to the boy, asking him about his experience with restorative justice, particularly with meeting the woman who had found him in her bedroom.

He said the woman told him she didn’t know what he was going to do when she woke up to find him in her home.

Ms McGarvie said she would take into account the experiences he’d had with restorative justice, and there was a large elderly component to the Hervey Bay community and they should have to feel scared in their own homes.

Ms McGarvie said the boy had been exposed to substance abuse and domestic violence in his formative years.

She sentenced him to six months’ detention for the break-ins and unlawful use of a motor vehicle and he was formally reprimanded for the possession of drug utensils.

She said there would be a calculation for the time the boy had spent in pre-sentence detention.

Ms McGarvie ordered that he be released after serving 60 per cent of the sentence.

No convictions were recorded.

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Originally published as Hervey Bay teen sentenced for entering retirement homes, stealing car