REMEMBER WHEN

A 17-YEAR-OLD youth who narrowly escaped a jail sentence for making a hoax bomb threat issued a warning to Gold Coast teenagers: “Never do what I did. If you’re bored, go out and look for a job.”

Relieved and grateful, the workshop assistant of Woodridge spoke outside the Beenleigh Magistrates Court after Mr John Rawson, SM, ordered him to do 240 hours unpaid community service.

Mr Rawson told the youth his “instinct” was to send him to jail but he would offer community service in the hopes that he “would be taught to respect people’s rights”.

Mr Rawson said society and most courts would consider what the man had done was a jailing offence.

“Quite apart from the great inconvenience you caused to a very great number of people this type of behaviour could lead to someone ignoring what might turn out to be a genuine call, a genuine bomb threat,” Mr Rawson said.

“I’m sorely tempted to send you to jail. I do bear in mind your age and the references put before me and require you to see our probation officer to see whether community service would be an appropriate alternative to imprisonment.”

Outside the court the youth said he had held little hope of escaping a term in jail.

He said he was well aware of a similar court case earlier that year which resulted in a 17-year-old being jailed for three months.

On that occasion Edward Henry Abel, also of Woodridge, was jailed for his part in a hoax which led to the evacuation of 1250 Woodridge High School students.