Inside Toowoomba Childrens Court: 18 teenagers charged with 82 crimes

Juveniles, charged with almost 100 offences, fronted Toowoomba court for a range of alleged crimes, from a violent sickle robbery to petty theft.

Juveniles, charged with almost 100 offences, fronted Toowoomba court for a range of alleged crimes, from a sickle robbery to petty theft. Picture: File / Free to use

More than a dozen juveniles charged with almost 100 offences had their cases heard before the Toowoomba Childrens Court during the first week of July.

The young adults, some of whom were remanded in custody, appeared before the court on Thursday, July 3, for a range of different offences.

Seven of the juveniles fronted court for their alleged involvement in stealing cars, three for alleged break and enter crimes, and a handful of teens were accused of serious acts of violence.

Below are a few notable cases from the sitting, as one minor was sentenced for a low-level crime, another pleaded guilty to a raft of property crimes, and a girl charged with violent robbery applied for bail.

Girl accused of armed robbery

The court was told a teenage girl was arrested by police alongside an adult male after an alleged violent robbery where one juvenile was allegedly armed with a sickle.

Duty lawyer Matt Gemmell applied for bail on the girl’s behalf, however the case had to be adjourned.

The court was told at the time of the alleged offence in June, the girl was on bail for a charge of violent robbery which had since been moved to a higher court, the Children’s Court of Queensland.

Magistrate Mark Howden said he could not proceed with the bail application hearing because the bail address put forward by Mr Gemmell was different from the one on her higher court undertaking.

She was remanded in custody, and the matter was adjourned to Friday, July 4.

Police are opposing the bail application.

On Thursday, July 3, 18 juveniles fronted Toowoomba courts charged with a total of 82 crimes

First-time offender caught shoplifting

A high-schooler, with a not-so-great attendance record, was caught stealing a bottle of cologne worth $182 from Myer at Grand Central Shopping Center in June.

The court was told the juvenile had no criminal history however when he stole the item, he was banned from attending the major shopping centre.

Police prosecutor Anita Paige told the court the security guards at the complex issue the banning notices to people who exhibit anti-social behaviour.

She said because he had breached the notice, police charged the teen with a trespass offence as well as stealing.

The court was told at the time of the offence, the teenager was couch surfing and needed a warm place to go during the day.

The boy pleaded guilty to the two crimes and was formally reprimanded for the low-level offence.

Mr Howden encouraged the teenager to attend school and re-engage with his passion for sport.

He will be banned from attending Grand Central until July 2026.

Car thief remanded in custody pleads guilty

A Darling Downs teenager on remand pleaded guilty to a raft of property-related crimes while on a community-based court order.

The juvenile pleaded guilty to 11 crimes, which included four counts of unlawful use of a car and three break and enter offences.

The court was told the crimes occurred in February across a number of suburbs including Highfields, Harristown, Rangeville, Cranley, and Paddington.

He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on July 21.