Jude Ralph Weribone faces Toowoomba Magistrates Court for wild joy ride in stolen ute

A Dalby teenager who was a passenger in a stolen ute had their joy ride from Helidon to Oakey ended by police using road spikes, a court has been told.

A teenager who was a passenger in a stolen ute that had all four tyres spiked during a wild pursuit near Oakey last month has been spared a conviction for his role in the incident.

Jude Ralph Weribone appeared in Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to entering a dwelling and committing an indictable offence, receiving tainted property, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and obstructing a police officer.

The court was told that an Isuzu ute belonging to Biodiversity Australia was stolen from an address in Dalby in the early hours of January 7.

The vehicle was fitted with a GPS tracking device, and investigations found that about 9.45am that day it was in the Toowoomba area, police prosecutor Sergeant Natalie Bugden said.

Further GPS data revealed that after the ute had left Dalby about 4.30am, it had travelled to Withcott, Wilsonton, Newtown, Wellcamp and Oakey.

Once the vehicle was found to be in Oakey, Sergeant Bugden said police set up their tyre deflation device on Warrego Highway when all four tyres were it.

After a short pursuit the vehicle was dumped in the middle of the highway, and three people were seen to run away towards Oakey Caravan Park, the court was told.

Police continued to pursue the three occupants before two of them tried to climb onto a water tank to try and gain access to a roof to escape.

The court was told the co-accused refused to follow police commands to stop and was threatening towards the pursuing officer, with OC spray was deployed, and when Weribone refused to come down from the tank he was also sprayed and placed under arrest.

Sergeant Bugden said that Weribone had been a passenger in the stolen ute that had travelled from Dalby to Helidon through to Toowoomba and Oakey “speeding and running red lights, driving down the wrong side of the road between 8am and 9.45am”.

Weribone’s solicitor Brad Skuse, of Skuse Graham Criminal Lawyers, said his client was only 18, with no previous criminal history and the support of family.

Mr Skuse said Weribone had been drinking with other friends leading up to the incident and made the unfortunate decision to join the two co-accused when the ute was taken.

“Due to perhaps the effects of alcohol (Weribone) decided to go with them and accepts his part in what happened,” Mr Skuse said.

Magistrate Howard Osborne placed Weribone on 12 months probation, including 80 hours community service.

No conviction was recorded.