A 17-year-old has been released on bail after allegedly breaking into a home while the owner was asleep and stealing their handbag and car.
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The teenager, who The Courier cannot name, appeared at a children's court on Monday after he spent three nights in custody.
A police informant told the court the teenager allegedly entered a Ballarat North house with a co-accused while the the owner was asleep some time between 6.15pm on July 8 and 9.30am on July 9.
It is alleged they stole a handbag from the kitchen including house and car keys and credit cards and stole an Audi sedan from the carport.
The court heard a witness allegedly saw the stolen Audi on Hertford Street in Sebastopol travelling at 100km/h in a 60km/h zone and swerving in and out of traffic.
Police believe the co-accused was driving the car and the accused was a passenger.
The police informant said CCTV footage showed the accused allegedly used the stolen credit card to purchase items from Big W and the Golden Nugget at Stockland Wendouree.
If you get into a car and kill someone it is not a question of whether you will get bail, it is how long you will spend in custody.
- Magistrate
The court heard a witness later reported the Audi allegedly travelling at up to 200km/h on the Western Highway near Learmonth.
Police went to Delacombe where they found the accused and co-accused sleeping in the car and arrested them.
It is alleged they found a stolen gym bag and a white powder believed to be cocaine in the accused's possession.
The court heard the teenager was on bail at the time of the alleged offences and is charged with theft of a motor vehicle, theft from a car, unlicensed driving, attempted armed robbery, theft and aggravated burglaries.
The police informant said the teenager was an unacceptable risk of committing further offences and putting the public's safety at risk.
A defence lawyer said the teenager had no priors and the three nights he had spent on remand was his first time in youth detention custody.
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The lawyer said it was unlikely the teenager would receive a term of imprisonment for this offending due to his age and lack of prior convictions.
The lawyer said the risks could be managed while on bail because the accused would be able to engage in work and had the support of youth justice services.
A magistrate said she noted the accused's young age but also the seriousness of the alleged charges.
"I am concerned the only person who isn't taking this seriously is him," the magistrate said.
"I am concerned for (the accused), but I also have to balance the safety and the welfare of the public."
The magistrate granted the teenager bail because of his young age, the supports in place and the risk he might spend more time in custody than he would be sentenced to.
The magistrate said this was his 'last opportunity'.
"If you get into a car and kill someone it is not a question of whether you will get bail, it is how long you will spend in custody," the magistrate said.
"Someone needs to save you from yourself because the path you are going down is catastrophic."
The teenager's co-accused did not apply for bail on Monday and will return to court in August.
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