Man bashed at knifepoint

THREE teens bashed a man and stole his car at knifepoint as he returned to a Gold Coast carpark following an early morning bike ride, a court has been told.

Details of the shocking incident were aired in the Queensland Children’s Court at Southport earlier this week, when one of the three teens was expected to face sentence after pleading guilty to unlawful entry to a vehicle with intent to commit an indictable offence.

The court heard the teen, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was part of a group who approached the man in Broadbeach and demanded his car keys around 6am on September 3 last year.

The man had parked in a carpark to go for a bike ride and returned his bike to the back of his car before using a nearby bathroom.

He then returned to his car, where he was approached by the youths and one drew a knife, the court heard.

As the man tried to escape and get into his car, he was punched in the face and the group drove off in his car, prosecutors told the court.

They stole fuel from a local service station while in the stolen vehicle on September 7 and were later intercepted by police.

The group fled the vehicle and the teen who faced court on Tuesday was arrested with the stolen car keys in his pocket.

The court heard the boy who was expected to be sentenced on Tuesday was not the teen who threatened the man with the knife but had been on parole for similar offending at the time he was arrested.

“It’s a really serious offence. Terrible,” Judge Paul Smith said. “Taking someone’s car when they go for a bike ride, at knifepoint, and (he) breached parole (he was on) for the same thing.”

He ordered the sentence be adjourned so that a presentence report could be prepared for the court.

This type of report provides information about what led a juvenile offender to break the law, sentence options, as well as, programs and services. They are usually ordered when a judge is considering a serious sentencing option.

The matter was adjourned until the report is compiled, which can take 15 days, the court heard.