An Illawarra teenager jailed for 20 months over a violent carjacking that occurred when he was underage will serve the rest of his sentence in an adult prison.
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The now 18-year-old, who can't be named for legal reasons, has been on remand in a juvenile justice facility since his arrest on May 24 last year.
However, staff have said the teen has been so volatile and aggressive during his time behind bars that the only suitable place for him is adult custody.
Court documents reveal the then-17-year-old and his 18-year-old accomplice were both long-standing ice addicts looking to fund their next hit when they confronted the victim on the top level of the multi-storey carpark at Wollongong railway station on the morning of May 21 last year.
"Get the f--k out of the car bitch, get out of the f--king car," the older teen said.
"Get out. Get out of the car or I'll stab ya. Get the f--k out of the car now you f--king dog."
The victim told police she noticed the younger teen had a knife. She said the older teen tried to pry the keys from her hands then punched her in the face when she refused to let go of them.
She then relinquished the car and the two men drove off. The vehicle found later that day in a driveway in Mount Warrigal.
The older teen was arrested on May 23, telling police "I just came up with a f--king bright idea to f---king take someone's car".
The younger teen was arrested the following day.
Both were charged with a carjacking offence, as well as aggravated break, enter and steal stemming from an earlier incident the same day, in which they broke into a house, found a set of keys and stole a car.
During a sentencing hearing in Wollongong District Court, lawyers for both men revealed the pair had had shockingly deprived upbringings.
The younger teen told a psychologist his childhood had been "shit" and that he'd grown up in a "crime family".
"The only quality time I got to spend with my father was when he was showing me how to steal cars and putting me through the window of houses we broke into so I could open up the door for him to come in," he wrote in a letter to the court.
A record of the teen's custodial movements revealed he was first charged by police at the age of 12 and sentenced to his first control order (a sentence in a juvenile prison) when he was 14. Since the age of 15, he's spent more than 90 per cent of his time behind bars and hasn't been out of jail for more than two months at a time.
In relation to the older teen, his lawyer said he had a history of long-term substance abuse.
"I grew up in housing commission, it was everywhere, I was offered it by an older kid. From then I never stopped using drugs," he told a psychologist.
The court heard the older teen had only been out of jail for a total of 12 months between the ages of 12 and 17 and at the time of the carjacking, was in a cycle of self-destructive behaviour after the breakdown of a relationship.
"I was smoking three grams of ice a day. I was on liquid fantasy every day, I didn't care," he said.
Judge Andrew Haesler sentenced the older teen to a minimum of 1 year and 11 months' jail, and the younger teen to 1 year and 4 months jail, warning both of them they would have to "earn" the chance to be released on parole in 2020.
'A life I never asked for'
*Excerpts from the younger teen's letter to the court
"Everyone in my life has been to adult prison and 'juvi' except for my Nanna and Pop. So from a young age it appeared normal for me to end up in custody.
If my wasn't in the house bashing my mum, he was in prison doing a long time.
The only quality time I got to spend with my father was when he was showing me how to steal cars and putting me through the window of houses we broke into so I could open up the door for him to come in. I was 10 years old when this started happening.
My dad gave me my first taste of cannabis at the age of 9. My friend I hung out with who were much older than me gave me my first taste of ice at the age of 10. So I began having an addiction to heavy drugs at a young age. So the crimes I committed were fulled by the fact I needed money to support my habit.
I was harassed by police from a young age, before I had a criminal history, because my last name was [withheld]. That is where my hatred for police came from.
My uncle is my father figure in my life...he tries his very best to keep me on the straight and narrow but he's throwing stones in glass houses when the first time I met him he was in jail.
I love him and I know that he means well but the advice he gives me is rich coming from him.
My daughter is my reason to change my lifestyle. I don't want to miss out on her upbringing and have her visit me while I'm in and have to get used to this sort of life....I remember crying every time I left my mother and father after a jail visit and I don't want [her] going through that.
I had to become an adult when I was a little kid and having my childhood taken away from me because of the life of crime I was never asked to be introduced to.
I'm not asking for sympathy you Honour, I'm asking for a chance to prove myself as a law abiding citizen in the community. I don't want to be another statistic to this system and in my family."