Accused boy refused bail

A 12-YEAR-OLD boy accused of driving a stolen Toyota HiLux utility into the front of a Newtown home on Sunday has been refused bail ostensibly to protect him from his offending mother.

The boy is accused of crashing the ute allegedly stolen from Mulga Court, Newtown, about 1pm Sunday into the front of a house at 7 Blue Gum Drive some two doors away.

The 12-year-old was charged with two counts each of unlawfully using a motor vehicle and entering and committing an indictable offence, and one each of attempted enter with intent, fraud, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and unlicensed driving.

The lad appeared by video link from the watch house before Toowoomba Children’s Court while his solicitor Joe Millican applied for bail.

Mr Millican said his client lived with his grandparents, who were in court, and would abide by all bail conditions. Police objected to bail. Magistrate Damian Carroll noted the boy’s mother appeared to have a negative effect on him and she had been accused of using drugs and being with the 12-year-old when he committed offences.

An adult woman was alleged to have fled the scene of the crash and was being pursued by police.

“What can the court do?” Mr Carroll asked Mr Millican.

Mr Millican submitted a condition of bail could be that the boy and his mother have no contact while on remand.

The court heard the boy was on probation and had initially been reporting to authorities, but he had stopped engaging with the order in the last week.

Mr Carroll said the community had to be protected from such offending and, in this case, the boy had to be protected from his mother.

Mr Carroll found cause had not been shown why bail should be granted and refused bail, remanding the boy in custody to appear back in the same court on September 16.