14-year-old Broome teen who held up schoolgirl and mother at gunpoint sentenced to 10 months

The 14-year-old Broome boy who brandished a replica firearm at a 10-year-old girl and her mother in Cable Beach earlier this year has been sentenced to 10 months in juvenile detention. The teenager appeared before Broome Children’s Court on August 8 via video link from Banksia Hill Juvenile Detention Centre with seven charges, including aggravated armed robbery and being armed in a way that may cause fear. The boy - who cannot be named due to his age - pleaded guilty to the charges on July 26 for his involvement in the armed robbery of a schoolgirl, which led police on a frantic search to locate the replica firearm after it was ditched. On May 7, Broome Police responded to multiple reports on Reid Road in Cable Beach after a group of four young boys approached the 10-year-old schoolgirl with a replica handgun while wearing face coverings. It is alleged one of the boys had the gun in his waistband and had lifted his shirt to expose the firearm during the confrontation. The young girl fled on foot and ran to her mother nearby, who confronted the boys but then was also threatened with the firearm. The court heard the boys allegedly made threats to the mother and her daughter, stating “there is nothing you can do” while brandishing the firearm in a gang-like style. A teenage bystander who witnessed the incident was also confronted, with a motorist driving by catching the incident on a dashcam. Police sent to the area found the four juveniles and took them into custody, with two being released on bail to appear in court at a later time. Another 14-year-old boy allegedly involved in the incident is yet to enter a plea and is appearing in Broome Children’s Court on September 20. Magistrate Deen Potter sentenced the 14-year-old boy to 10 months in juvenile detention, backdated to May 8, 2024.