Boy, 13, hurt in alleged joy ride

PARENTS of juvenile offenders have been issued a stern warning by senior police after a teenage boy was seriously injured in a crash involving a stolen car.

Three boys, including two 11-year-olds, have been charged over the single vehicle crash at Mt Sheridan which left their 13-year-old alleged co-offender with serious head injuries in Townsville Hospital.

The car was allegedly stolen from a nearby residence early on Friday morning and driven dangerously through two Cairns suburbs before slamming into a railway sign, trapping him and a 16-year-old boy inside. Other occupants fled the scene.

Northern Region Police Assistant Commissioner Paul Taylor said police were working to try to divert youths from crime, but had previously been forced to meet parents of children killed in fatal crashes involving stolen cars.

“If you are a parent or guardian, what is your child doing?” he said.

“At seven or eight o’clock at night, if your child’s not home in bed, then why not? “Why are you letting them get out and endanger their lives?”

The car, a Hyundai sedan, was allegedly from a Benjamina St residence after the keys were stolen from a kitchen bench. It was crashed on Forest Gardens Boulevard about 3.30am on Friday. QUESTIONS: Police Assistant Commissioner Paul Taylor.

The 16-year-old was initially treated in Cairns Hospital before being released into police custody where he has been charged with unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

One of the 11-year-old boys was charged with entering a premises, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and burglary. He was further charged with unlawful use of a motor vehicle following the alleged unrelated theft of a sedan from Woree on August 23.

The other was charged with two counts of unlawful use of a motor vehicle, entering a premises and burglary.

The sedan sustained major front-end damage and was towed for further forensic examination. Police investigations are continuing.