Karl Stefanovic has unleashed about juvenile delinquency spiraling out of control after a teenager allegedly crashed a stolen car, killing three innocent people in Queensland.
The allegedly stolen vehicle collided with a Holden, killing Kelsie Davies, 17, and church pastor Michale Chandler, 29, at around 10:45pm on Sunday in Maryborough.
The force of the crash also shunted the vehicle into a Mazda, killing the driver, nurse Sheree Robertson, 52, who was heading home after work.
A 23-year-old who was a passenger in the Holden was airlifted to hospital in Brisbane for treatment, while a 13-year-old boy has been charged with the death.
“How many times have we told you about stolen cars in Queensland? How many near misses?’ That’s what Stefanovic said on Today on Tuesday morning.
“How many lives are forever changed because juvenile delinquency spirals out of control?”
A frustrated Karl Stefanovic has unleashed a furious tirade after a 13-year-old allegedly caused the horrific blow
Kelsie Davies, 17, was killed in the Queensland town of Maryborough on Sunday night when a Mercedes, reportedly driven by a 13-year-old boy, collided with the Holden she was in.
“Three innocent lives have been lost in a country town where things will never be the same again.”
His comments come six weeks after Queensland passed a series of measures to reduce juvenile delinquency, including tougher prison sentences for car thieves.
The changes seemed to have done little to ease local concerns as residents across the state demanded tougher measures.
Desperate Townsville residents said in April they were in the midst of a terrifying juvenile delinquency wave that saw thefts, burglaries and violent crimes rampant.
An excited Stefanovic said the latest incident in Maryborough would have a devastating impact on the community.
“High schools, workplaces, churches, families torn apart, daughters, mothers, sons, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers, nieces and nephews, friends are in the most terrible heartbreaking grief this morning,” he said.
“All because we can’t stop crime.”
Queensland Police Union chairman Ian Leavers seemed equally frustrated when he said measures such as a curfew were pointless because they ‘punish the common child’.
“These young people love this alleged 13-year-old, they are nothing but criminals. We need to target them, tThe courts must hold them accountable,” he said.
‘TThe courts really need to step up when we lock these kids up.”
Mr Leavers said he knows Maryborough and Harvey Bay well from his 30 years with the Queensland Police Service.
“There is a core group of less than a dozen young people who are causing chaos and endangering the community,” he said.
“They need to be locked up and imprisoned because they cannot live by society’s norms.
States across Australia want to raise the age of criminal liability to 14. That would mean that this 13-year-old would not be held accountable.
‘We can’t even take them to court.’
Currently, across Australia, children aged 10-14 are subject to criminal law but must be proven to understand that what they were doing was wrong.
A 2020 report from the Permanent Council of Attorneys General recommended abolishing this and raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14 years.
Church pastor Michale Chandler, 29, (pictured left with husband and fellow pastor Matthew Chandler) also died after the Holden hit
Nurse Sheree Robertson, 52, was killed in a Mazda as she was driving home from work at Maryborough Hospital
‘We need look at other programs and things that we can set up at a very young age, because when a lot of these kids turn 12 or 13, that’s a learned behavior. They are repeat offenders and there’s nothing we can do about that,” Leavers said.
“We have to look at the parents and carers who are clearly irresponsible.
“They’re incapable of taking care of a child. You couldn’t even trust them if they’re taking care of a housestone, who can do nothing.”
According to police, a passenger in the Mercedes allegedly fled the scene of the crash, while the 13-year-old suffered minor injuries to his foot during the crash.
The Bundaberg boy is believed to have taken the Mercedes from a Maryborough home about two hours before the fatal accident.
He was charged with three counts of dangerous driving resulting in death and one count of unlawful use of a motor vehicle.
The 13-year-old is due to appear before Maroochydore Children’s Court.
The 13-year-old alleged driver (pictured) stands outside Maryborough Children’s Court
Police are still investigating the incident and have requested information from anyone who saw the silver Mercedes before the crash in the Maryborough and Hervey Bay area.
Prime Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Monday that her heart goes out to the grieving families.
“This is a terrible tragedy and it shouldn’t happen,” she told reporters.