A 17-YEAR-OLD charged with stealing five vehicles and associated offending across the south-west has been remanded in custody.
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The youth, who cannot be named, is being held in custody until he appears in court on Friday.
He has been charged with theft of the Honda CRV valued at $30,000, the theft of three others cars on one night in Geelong, the theft of another vehicle on a separate occasion, a $42 petrol drive-off at Port Fairy and breaking into a vehicle in Portland overnight Thursday and using a bank card he stole from the car three times.
The youth also failed to appear in court to have other matters finalised on November 14. He is expected to be sentenced for that offending on Friday.
A police officer told a court the youth was involved in stealing the $30,000 car in Geelong on October 18.
That car was then involved in a number of high-speed pursuits with police, the petrol drive-off at Port Fairy and the car was eventually recovered at Bessiebelle.
The youth is alleged to have been in the car during the pursuits.
Forensic evidence linked the youth to the theft of three cars in one night at Geelong.
Last Thursday two vehicles were broken into in Portland, one in Wade Street and another in Percy Street.
A bank card was stolen and used three times around Portland, twice at supermarkets and also at a service station, before a stop was put on the card.
At 8am on Friday the youth was arrested on unrelated theft matters. His stepmother told police how the youth had offered to buy her groceries.
Keys stolen from the Percy Street vehicle were also recovered.
A magistrate said the youth had failed to appear in court three times and there were no conditions that could be out in place to prevent the youth from continuing to offend or appear in court when required.
He said the priority was for part-heard matters to be finalised and he remanded the youth to appear in a court again on Friday.
His 14-year-old brother also appeared in court after being remanded in custody on even more charges.
He was released on strict bail conditions to live with his father, largely because of his very young age.
The magistrate told the boy he was in a lot of trouble and, if he did not obey strict bail conditions, he would spend the summer in custody.