Teens face car theft, joy ride charges

FIVE teens aged under 18 have been arrested over the theft and unlicensed joy riding of a vehicle from Westcourt.

Four boys aged 12, 13, 15 and 16 and a girl aged 14 were charged on Friday after two of the boys were apprehended fleeing from an allegedly stolen vehicle at Trinity Beach early on Friday morning.

Smithfield police were patrolling Vasey Esplanade at about 2.30am when they saw the vehicle.

They turned to follow and it sped away.

The vehicle then stopped in a dead-end street and three occupants fled on foot.

After foot patrols and a chase on Trinity Beach Road, police caught the 15-year-old, from Manoora.

A second youth, 16, and also from Manoora, was found hiding in the garden of a unit complex on Trinity Beach Road.

After further inquiries, police arrested three more teens on Friday.

The 14-year-old girl was charged with five counts each of burglary, three counts each of unlawful use of a motor vehicle and unlicensed driving, and one count each of stealing, possession of stolen property and trespass.

Each of the boys was charged with one count of unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

So far this year, 262 cars have been stolen in the Cairns area, compared with 767 in 2017 and 602 in 2016.