Teen sentenced in Rockhampton court for stealing car outside Boodles Meats

Three tiny children were strapped inside a running car while their mother went into a shop when a 16-year-old boy got behind the wheel of the Ford Ranger and sped off down a Central Queensland street.

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The shocking moment a teenager brazenly stole a car which had been left running with three children under the age of seven still strapped inside has been detailed in Rockhampton District Court.

A 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named, had stumbled upon the Ford Ranger which the owner had left running while she ran inside to Boodles Meats at Berserker, on November 5, 2022.

He was with a second teen who hesitated once the pair discovered the children inside, the court heard.

The defendant however didn’t hesitate, driving off in the car down Berseker St and pulling up a few blocks away to unstrap the children from their car seats and leaving them on the side of the road.

One of the children was able to find their way back to the store and raise the alarm.

Meanwhile, the teen took the vehicle on a joy ride before dumping it at Rodboro Street.

The court heard the driver was still a child himself who had been failed by the child safety department which had not acted since coming into his life while he was still a neglected baby in his mother’s care.

The boy had started offending after the death of his grandmother, who had been his primary career.

Defence barrister Maree Willey said her client came to the attention of child safety officers in 2007.

His father had died, he had no contact with his mother and the person he viewed as his mother – his grandmother – raised him but passed away in 2021 which was when his criminal behaviour started.

She said he had since moved in with an older sister who had two children of her own.

The court heard the teen had a low IQ of 66, had been diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiance disorder and developmental language disorder.

Judge Jeff Clarke said documents provided to the court showed child safety became involved with the juvenile when he was a baby due to neglect.

He was diagnosed with mental disabilities and “then nothing happened”.

When a youth justice representative told the court the juvenile had not attended school for some time, the judge questioned why he had not been forced to attend and was told youth justice “can only encourage them (children under state care) to go to school”.

The teen was on probation at the time of the Berserker car theft.

He pleaded guilty to one count each of unlawful entry of a motor vehicle and unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

The teen spent five months in detention prior to the sentencing where he was placed on probation for the next six months.

No convictions were recorded.

Originally published as Teen sentenced in Rockhampton court for stealing car outside Boodles Meats