Federal MP for Herbert Philip Thompson has declared he will pressure Queensland Premier David Crisafulli to take further action on youth crime after a Townsville mother’s car was stolen with her two-month-old baby still inside. The shocking daylight carjacking has reignited debate over Queensland’s youth crime crisis, with Thompson warning current measures are not enough.
Thompson demands action
Speaking to Sunrise on Wednesday, Thompson revealed he had spoken with the baby’s mother, Sarah, and plans to raise the incident directly with the premier during meetings. “I don’t care what colour shirt people wear. I’m in the Liberal National Party. So is the premier, and I don’t care. He needs to be told that we need action,” Thompson said.
Six youths allegedly stole Sarah’s Isuzu MU-X from the driveway of her Garbutt home on Monday afternoon while her daughter slept in a car seat in the back. The group allegedly drove off with the infant inside before returning moments later and placing the baby, still strapped into her car seat, on the kerb before fleeing again.
Sarah told Sunrise on Tuesday the alleged offenders showed little remorse when she confronted them. “I asked them, I said, ‘Why are you doing this? This is my family car. We work hard for this and I need this’,” she said. “And they said, ‘Because we’re bad guys’.”
Community outrage
While the two-month-old was physically unharmed, the incident has sparked widespread anger across North Queensland and renewed scrutiny of whether existing youth crime laws are having the desired effect.
Thompson acknowledged Crisafulli inherited the problem and noted a decrease in crime rates across the state but argued more must be done. “Yeah it’s coming down but that doesn’t change the fact that a child was stolen in a car,” he said. “We need tougher penalties, we need action. He’s the premier, he’s got the levers. I want to work with him. We need to get onto it now and keep people safe.”
Known offenders
The incident has generated particular concern because some of the alleged offenders were reportedly known to police, with at least one said to have been released from detention on a supervision order. “You call them kids, I call them grubs because they know what they’re doing. They are terrorising the streets,” Thompson said. “I want to see them behind bars. I don’t care their age. You’re doing this, you stay behind bars. If you’re stealing a car with a child in it, an infant, you don’t get released. You do time, and I’ll be very strong with that with David today.”
Government response
The premier’s “adult crime, adult time” laws were a cornerstone of the Queensland Liberal Party’s election campaign, with the government introducing tougher penalties for a range of serious offences committed by juveniles. However, the Townsville incident has intensified calls for further reforms as residents continue to report high rates of vehicle thefts and break-ins.
“Crime is tough here. It is happening, and people are getting their cars stolen, their houses broken into. I’ve had my house also broken into on a couple of occasions by these criminals looking to steal my car,” Thompson said.
Queensland Police have since recovered seven stolen vehicles and charged eight teenagers and two adults with a combined 19 offences as investigations continue.
