A coronial inquest is investigating police actions leading up to the death of a 14-year-old boy who was killed when a stolen car he was riding in crashed into a tree in Cairns in 2022.
The teenager, whose identity is legally protected, died shortly after 1am on February 14, 2022, while travelling with five other youths in the stolen vehicle. One of the passengers suffered a severe spinal injury, resulting in permanent quadriplegia and a six-month hospital stay.
The inquest, which began Monday at the Cairns Coroner’s Court, will hear from over 20 witnesses during the 10-day hearing. On the opening day, State Coroner Terry Ryan was told that both marked and unmarked police vehicles had tracked the car for around 25 minutes prior to the crash.
At the time, police were operating under an “interdiction strategy” which involved covertly monitoring the vehicle without activating sirens or lights, with plans to stop it using a tyre-deflation device. Counsel assisting the coroner, Melia Benn, said an officer attempted to deploy such a device near a bridge, but it failed and the car continued on.
The 15-year-old driver later lost control while trying to overtake another vehicle, resulting in the fatal crash. The 14-year-old died at the scene.
Ms Benn said that according to the surviving youths, they were aware of being followed by police in the minutes leading up to the crash.
The inquest is evaluating whether police followed proper procedures and received adequate training. Constables Aiden Bliesner and Leland Wilce, who were involved in the pursuit, admitted their vehicle reached speeds exceeding 120kph in a 60kph zone. Both officers testified that while the situation was stressful, they didn’t believe they became overly focused on the target and acknowledged a need for further training.
Sergeant Declan Oliver, who had a supervisory role in the operation, told the court that the strategy aimed to stop stolen vehicles safely. Following the incident, he said, the strategy was temporarily paused and later refined and reinstated.
Sergeant Theresa Downey from the police Ethical Standards Command, who investigated the case, recommended that officers be properly trained before engaging in such operations. However, she did not conclude whether the fatality could have been prevented. The inquest heard that both Constables Bliesner and Wilce were formally reprimanded after the internal investigation.
The inquiry will also examine the care and support the boy received from the Department of Child Safety. He had a history of trauma, first becoming known to authorities at age one. Diagnosed with an intellectual disability at nine, he had lost both parents by age 13.
In 2023, the teen driver was sentenced to over seven years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter, drink driving, and causing grievous bodily harm.
