The grandmother of a 13-year-old boy killed in a stolen car crash that claimed the lives of four teenagers in Townsville has made an emotional address to a coronial inquest into their deaths.
Lucius Hure-Hill – now known as Barefoot, Rayvenna Coolwell, Cayenne Robertson and Aaliyah Te Paa died on June 7, 2020 when the vehicle they were travelling in hit a traffic light pole.
A coronial inquest in Townsville is examining the adequacy and appropriateness of police actions on the day of the crash, and during their investigation into the teenagers' deaths.
Before proceedings began, Barefoot's grandmother Sanaa Liddle fought back tears as she made a brief statement in front of State Coroner Terry Ryan.
"Barefoot now stands with his people," she said.
"This is for you Barefoot.
"You are way more than the sum of a mistake you made."
The four teenagers, aged 13 to 17, had been passengers in a stolen car that was spotted speeding through Townsville throughout the early hours of the morning.
After driving the wrong way down a main road, the vehicle clipped a roundabout, flipped and smashed into a traffic light pole at Garbutt.
All four passengers were thrown from the car.
Acting Sergeant Hayley Garrod from the Forensic Crash Unit told the inquest that the stolen car reached a speed of 128 kilometres per hour five seconds before the collision.
She said the vehicle was travelling 111 kilometres per hour at the time of impact.
Horrendous scene
Counsel assisting Sarah Lio-Willie said the injuries suffered were so severe that teenagers could not be identified at the scene.
"[The 14-year-old driver] walked away from the collision, but its four passengers that morning did not," she said.
"When confronted by the reality of his actions, [the driver] cried to police officers 'I want to kill myself'."
The 14-year-old boy and sole survivor, who cannot be identified, was last year sentenced to five years in detention.
The inquest heard the stolen car had been followed at times by police in the lead up to the crash.
Detective Sergeant Donna Green, who investigated the incident, said officers did not engage in a pursuit nor use their lights and sirens.
"My assessment was that they did not attempt to intercept the vehicle … and they did not follow the vehicle for a protracted distance or protracted time," she said.
Detective Sergeant Green said there was no evidence of misconduct on the part of the officers involved.
The inquest also heard from Senior Constable Clayton Sharp, who was conducting general patrols on the morning of the crash.
"It was horrendous," he said.
"I observed I believe an upside [down] white vehicle.
"There was lots of debris on the road."
The inquest is set down for three days, with Assistant Commissioner Cheryl Scanlon scheduled to give evidence on Wednesday.
