‘Bored’ teen Byron Foley jailed for Pilbara car stealing spree, endangering cop’s life after 18th birthday

A young Hedland man who went on a 24-hour crime spree, stealing five vehicles before endangering the life of a police officer just one week after his 18th birthday, has been sentenced to more than two years in jail. Byron Foley appeared in South Hedland District Court last Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated burglary, five counts of stealing a motor vehicle, and one count of endangering the life of an officer. On September 7, Foley attended an address in South Hedland and waited for the owners to leave before using a rock to smash the kitchen window, letting himself and a co-accused into the property. He stole two watches, then took the keys to a Toyota Hilux, driving it to Pretty Pool beach before abandoning the vehicle when it got bogged in sand. Entering a second property in South Hedland through an unlocked rear window, Foley took two sets of keys for himself and a co-accused and used the cars before giving the keys to another offender. Later that evening in Port Hedland, he stole a quad bike before abandoning it in bushland. Foley then entered a home through an unlocked entrance and took the keys to a Toyota Prado. The same Prado was used to drive along Great Northern Highway before it was stopped by police the following morning. With the car still running, an officer tried to restrain Foley by the arm when he accelerated, dragging the officer for 10m. The officer managed to put the car in park and Foley was arrested. Foley, who has since been in custody, had to attend his mother’s recent funeral in handcuffs. Defence lawyer Sally Oliver said Foley was deeply remorseful for his crimes and hoped this would be a turning point for him. Judge Gary Massey said he was confused by the motivation for the crime spree, for which Foley had no commercial gain and he co-operated with police. Ms Oliver said it was common for youth to engage in crimes out of boredom and peer pressure in the community. Port Hedland police officer-in-charge Sgt Steve Cleal said he agreed with remarks made by Ms Oliver. Sgt Cleal said people needed to lock their homes and vehicles to reduce the risk of burglaries following the incident. “The message is very simple and whilst I’m very sympathetic to everyone who is a victim of crime in this town, I’m also very clear on the fact that you can prevent these things by securing your vehicles and houses,” he said. Judge Massey said although he understood Foley’s disadvantaged upbringing and potential for rehabilitation, he saw imprisonment as the only option. Foley was sentenced to 30 months jail time, and will be eligible for parole in December.