13-year-old appears in court after allegedly stealing safe and money in Geraldton Aquarena break-in

A teenage boy who allegedly broke into the Geraldton Aquarena, stealing a safe containing money and breaching his bail, has appeared in court the day after being arrested. Geraldton Children’s Court was told that about 2.20am on Monday, the 13-year-old boy and an accomplice allegedly entered the Aquarena public swimming pool building in Wonthella through an unlocked staff door before smashing a window to an office room and stealing the safe with money worth $1800. The two allegedly ripped out an alarm they triggered and pulled wires from a CCTV system in what magistrate Angus Hockton said appeared to be a well-planned burglary. Police prosecutor Senior Constable Paul White said officers arrived as the two were leaving and chased them as they attempted to flee before apprehending them. The boy appeared in court on Tuesday, charged with aggravated burglary and stealing. He was on bail at the time of the alleged offence, facing 17 other charges including endangering the life, health or safety of a person, aggravated burglary, stealing, disorderly public behaviour and stealing a motor vehicle. Sen. Const White said he believed there were no conditions that could be placed that would stop the boy from reoffending and time in Banksia Juvenile Detention Centre would be a “wake-up call.” “The community deserve the right to be protected,” he said. The teenager’s lawyer Yassamin Olson requested bail, stating the boy had no criminal record and had already spent a day in custody. “That might be punishment enough this time around,” she said. Mr Hockton acknowledged the boy’s clean record and said it was unlikely the boy would be detained if found guilty. Bail was granted with a 7pm-7am curfew and the magistrate told the boy this would be his last opportunity on bail. He will appear in court on March 14.