Youth Justice Services sign 12-year-old boy’s bail while mother is out of Geraldton and not contactable

The mother of a 12-year-old boy on burglary and motor theft charges was uncontactable, a Geraldton court was told last week, forcing a public servant to sign as his responsible adult for bail. It came after a separate parental neglect case, in the same week and in the same courtroom, when a magistrate reacted in outrage that a 13-year-old accused had been left at home alone for two weeks. In the matter of the 12-year-old, the boy’s bail had to be signed by a Youth Justice Services worker in the absence of his mother. The boy and his 14-year-old brother appeared in court on Friday from custody, charged with two counts of home burglary and stealing a motor vehicle. The court was told in the early hours of Friday the accused brothers entered a home on Boaz Street in Karloo through an unlocked door and stole a set of keys to a vehicle parked out the front. Police prosecutor Sgt Paul Burkinshaw said the pair drove away in the vehicle, but later returned to the property about 5am. A co-accused filmed the 12-year-old rummaging through a handbag and stealing a 10 pack of coke from the fridge before leaving the property. Youth Justice representative David Campbell said the department was working with the boy’s family but it was “proving difficult” to get in touch with the mother because she was away in an Aboriginal community. Magistrate Kelly Thompson said she was concerned about remanding the youngest boy in custody over the weekend. Mr Campbell offered to sign bail as the responsible adult while the mum was not contactable, and noted if Youth Justice did not find a parent, remanding the accused to the local bail house was an option. The 12-year-old was granted bail and will reappear in Perth Children’s Court via video link on Wednesday, April 3. His 14-year-old brother was also granted bail despite Sgt Burkinshaw opposing it, given the boy’s history of burglaries. He will reappear in Geraldton Children’s Court next month. Last week the ABC reported a 13-year-old boy accused of a burglary and stealing offences had been living at home alone for two weeks. Magistrate Matthew Walton asked the boy when he last ate, to which the boy couldn’t remember. “Did you eat yesterday?” he said. The boy replied, “no”. The teenager was released to a bail hostel in Geraldton for 24 hours and it was hoped his mother would return to town in that time. The boy will reappear next month.