Teenager to face court after elderly man injured while car, caravan stolen in WA’s north

A 14-year-old boy is set to face Halls Creek Children’s Court on Monday, accused of stealing a ute towing a caravan in an incident which left the vehicle’s elderly owner in a critical condition in hospital at the weekend.

Kununurra Detectives appealed for the public’s help after the alleged theft in the remote Kimberley town on Saturday.

A 76-year-old man had pulled up in his Isuzu D-Max towing a white caravan at a service station at Great Northern Highway about 10.45am.

He was out inspecting the caravan when police allege the 14-year-old jumped in the car and drove off, striking the elderly man and leaving him with critical injuries.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service flew the 76-year-old to Royal Darwin Hospital for treatment, where he remains in a critical but stable condition.

On Monday, WA Police revealed the teenage boy had been charged with grievous bodily harm when stealing a motor vehicle and stealing a motor vehicle, and would face Children’s Court on the same day.

Halls Creek has previously recorded one of WA’s highest crime rates per capita.

The number of offences recorded in the town has steadily increased since 2015, with the total crime rate recently reaching a 10-year-high.

The most common offence seen by police in the remote town is domestic violence, although the town was in the spotlight in 2022 after children filmed themselves stealing cars and posted the videos to social media.