Goondiwindi 12-year-old pleads guilty to 44 offences including 16 burglaries, arson of motor vehicle

A 12-year-old who went on a wild crime spree across Goondiwindi, committing more than 44 offences, made full admissions to police with a Crown prosecutor submitting his actions defied calls to raise the age of criminal responsibility.

A 12-year-old boy who pleaded guilty to 44 offences including 16 burglaries, 11 unlawful use of motor vehicles, stealing guns and arson of a motor vehicle, defied those calling for the criminal age of responsibility to be lifted to 14, according to the Crown prosecutor.

The now 14-year-old Goondiwindi boy, who as a juvenile cannot be identified, pleaded guilty in the Children’s Court of Queensland at Toowoomba on Wednesday to the crime spree committed with mates over a three-month period in and around the border town in late 2021.

Judge Paul Smith

Asked by Judge Paul Smith about proposals to lift the age of criminal responsibility to 14, Crown prosecutor Emily Coley said the lad made full admissions to police and submitted “he knew what he was doing”.

Ms Coley said the offences involved the 12-year-old and older friends breaking into homes in Goondiwindi and stealing property including keys to cars which they then drove away.

The offenders had unsuccessfully attempted to torch one vehicle but successfully set fire to a Toyota HiLux which was destroyed, she said.

Disturbingly, the group had broken into one home’s gun safe from which four rifles and a shotgun were stolen and the Crown didn’t know what happened to those weapons, she said.

However, the lad’s barrister Nathan Edridge said his client had told him they had hidden those guns in a Goondiwindi park but when they returned later, four of the weapons had been stolen.

The 44 offences the teenager pleaded guilty to included 16 counts of burglary, 11 of unlawful use of a motor vehicle, including two motorcycles, three of unlawful use of a motor vehicle with damage, four of entering a dwelling in company in the night, stealing, stealing weapons and one each of attempted arson of a motor vehicle and arson of a motor vehicle.

Mr Edridge told the court that though his client had only gone to year 6 or 7 at school, he appeared to be “very bright”.

The lad lived with his parents and siblings in Goondiwindi and his mother was listening to the court proceedings via a telephone hook-up, he said.

The teenager had spent three weeks in pre-sentence detention on these matters but he spent three months in detention in NSW last year on charges for which he was ultimately found not responsible, he said.

Judge Smith said there appeared a need to keep the teenager busy and placed him on 12 months probation and ordered he do 50 hours community service.

In keeping with Juvenile Justice Act policy, no convictions were recorded.