Car theft heartbreak Tyres take damage in road trap
WHEN Keith Mackay saw his Holden Captiva driven past him by juvenile thieves his heart sank.
The driver had just driven the car over a tyre deflation device laid by police on the Flinders Highway in a bid to stop a gang of thieves on their way back to Townsville.
It was early last Sunday morning when Mr Mackay and his wife had been rudely awakened by the sound of their vehicles being started.
Louise Mackay had run outside just in time to see three of their cars being driven away by thieves.
But they had also stolen Mr Mackay’s iPhone, which was used to help police track down the criminals.
“I used the Find My iPhone app and saw they had been out to Charters Towers,” he said.
Mr Mackay drove a friend’s vehicle along the Flinders Highway and stopped at a police roadblock.
That’s when he saw his stolen car drive past. One of its wheels was on its rim due to damage caused by the police tyre deflation device.
“It was heartbreaking,” Mr Mackay said.
Police arrested seven youths, aged 14 to 16, last Sunday after a series of car thefts across the city that weekend. They faced court on Monday, with four remanded in custody and three signing court bail undertakings.
Mr Mackay said it was the fourth time his home had been hit by car thieves.
He said his carport was close to the footpath and it had proved an enticing target. He plans to upgrade security.
“Your home is no longer your castle,” he said. “My wife found her purse in Anne St, ( Aitkenvale). And someone handed in the contents of my wallet, which they found in North Ward.”
Youth justice has long been a hot topic, with the LNP yesterday pledging to implement new laws if it wins government.
Shadow attorney- general Ian Walker said the laws would force young criminals into community service, introduce breach of bail as an offence and give courts the power to restrict a juvenile’s eligibility for a driver’s licence if convicted of certain car theft and hooning offences.