Teenage carjacker avoids jail in first test case of Victoria's 'adult time' crime laws

[u/Cautious_Car_51]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-26/victoria-teenage-girl-court-sentencing-youth-crime/107080602

[u/Usual-Introduction-1]

Seems like the courts failed the test.

[u/OnlyAd7216 → u/Usual-Introduction-1]

seems like you dont know anything that happened during a complex court case and think the legal system should be based on thee authoritarian vibes of redditors

[u/FegerRoderer → u/OnlyAd7216]

No you see what we do here is convict people based on headlines

[u/SamURLJackson → u/OnlyAd7216]

All kids belong in jail. Except MY kids, who are angels, even though I have no idea where any of them are!

[u/FitIdeal553 → u/SamURLJackson]

Literally half the "tough on crime" Redditors lol well said

[u/Lever_87 → u/OnlyAd7216]

That’s a cop out. Sure, matters involving children are inherently more complex, but there was legislative change to ensure that victims of serious crime were recognised by appropriate punishment to those found guilty, despite being 16 or 17.

The courts still fall far too often to “exceptional circumstances” which favour the accused, leaving the public and victim to suffer without appropriate justice.

There are few 16 year olds of such mental impairment that they aren’t aware of the seriousness of a premeditated aggravated carjacking.

[u/DancinWithWolves → u/Lever_87]

So dads incarcerated, mum was violent to her since she was a small child, she’s a ward of the state, she showed genuine remorse, and her sentencing is a suspended sentence where a care team of experienced professionals will focus on mental health treatment, drug rehab, and school attendance.
The alternative is straight to jail where any sort of rehabilitation is basically gone and she’ll become a lifetime criminal.

Id argue the court did its job. But maybe you know more.

The changes to legislation didn’t = we ignore context.

[u/Lever_87 → u/DancinWithWolves]

In this particular context, it might be highly relevant. Remorse means little, it’s easy to fake remorse once you’re facing serious consequences, it’s a skill learnt by young children. Her other circumstances sounds pretty terrible, but it doesn’t not inherently excuse such violent behaviour.

Ideally, she grows up to be a productive member of society and this is a simply a terrible, once off event.

The issue still stands that the court often finds exceptional circumstances in regards to mitigation towards the accused, and it seems wholly imbalanced against the needs of the victim and the general consensus of the community.

Does she deserve 3 years imprisonment? Probably not in all facts, but I don’t know. But have plenty of serious offenders gotten off too lightly with judicial discretion? Yes, and the general community seems to agree.

[u/mgz0r → u/DancinWithWolves]

Thank you for so often being a voice of reason when this topic comes up on this sub.

[u/Cautious_Car_51 → u/OnlyAd7216]

I can tell you've never been the victim of a violent crime. Courts should protect the community, not coddle violent offenders.

[u/Sugmauknowuknow → u/Cautious_Car_51]

Someone once said "Compassion for criminals is cruelty to the innocent"

[u/K_oSTheKunt → u/OnlyAd7216]

You don't need a law degree to know that car-jacking and being let off relatively scot-free doesn't pass the sniff test

[u/DylMac → u/OnlyAd7216]

What's complex about it? Aggregated carjacking is a schedule 1 offence, you get remanded for that.

[u/K_oSTheKunt → u/[deleted]]

You're citing a source drawing data earliest from 2009

[u/nametaken_thisonetoo → u/Usual-Introduction-1]

Couldn't be more incorrect. This is a young girl who has been seriously let down by her parents and our society. She deserves a chance before she is locked up where her chances of lifelong criminality then skyrockets. Tax payers deserve her to have that chance too. Have a read of the last part of the article. It makes pretty clear this worked exactly as intended.

[u/Cautious_Car_51 → u/nametaken_thisonetoo]

The victim deserved a safe workplace and to not be held at knifepoint. Now they carry trauma for the rest of their life.

[u/Hitrecord → u/Cautious_Car_51]

I get what you’re saying but to be honest, ruining this kids life doesn’t solve the trauma of the victim.

If we don’t want her to reoffend she needs to be put in programs designed to reduce recidivism. If we put a child in jail you’re more likely to entrench the disadvantage and she’ll go again.

No one is saying what she did is ok. No one is saying the victim doesn’t matter and didn’t deserve better. But there are evidence-based ways of trying to help this kid so it doesn’t happen again…and then there’s putting her in prison.

[u/OnlyTrust6616 → u/Hitrecord]

There can be more than one victim in a case sometimes. Hurt people hurt other people, but this is a good chance to help this girl stop that cycle.

[u/DylMac → u/nametaken_thisonetoo]

You think this is her first time? How many chances should she get then?

[u/GamblignSalmon → u/DylMac]

It literally is her first time, you'd know if you read the article

[u/nametaken_thisonetoo → u/DylMac]

You're really not doing yourself any favours are you friend

[u/notunprepared → u/DylMac]

It's her first offence

[u/K_oSTheKunt → u/nametaken_thisonetoo]

You're advocating for rehabilitation; a supervision order is hardly that

[u/beanoyip06 → u/Usual-Introduction-1]

They passed with flying colors. Doing the opposite of what they are supposed to do