A Townsville woman is run over by her own car as Queensland’s juvenile delinquency rampages

A woman has been hit repeatedly with her own car while trying to stop thieves from driving away amid police release of worrying statistics on juvenile delinquency.

Karyn Dawson is recovering in hospital after her vehicle was used to run her over while trying to stop the crooks.

CCTV vision shows two teenagers in hoodies and masks rummaging through the kitchen of their Townsville home on Monday before taking the keys to their car and driving away.

Townsville woman Karyn Dawson was hit repeatedly by her own car while trying to stop the thieves driving away. Her partner ran to try to help completely naked (pictured) but was unable to stop the robbers

Ms Dawson was in the backyard when the masked bandits entered through the front door of her home in northeast Queensland.

When she spotted the teenagers in her kitchen, they were “terrified” and ran out of the house.

The boys got into their car as she was chasing them and saw Ms Dawson trying to yank open the car door as they tried to reverse out of their driveway.

Ms Dawson’s screams woke her partner, David Searle, who rushed stark naked into the front yard and jumped in front of the car.

CCTV footage then shows the thieves driving off and running over Ms Dawson’s body.

Ms Dawson suffered internal bruising and abrasions to her legs and arms and is recovering in hospital.

Ms Dawson said she tried to stop the teenagers escaping in her car

Ms Dawson suffered internal bruising and abrasions to her legs and arms and is recovering in hospital

The couple say they believe they live in a good area and on a nice street and are shocked that the street’s security cameras didn’t deter the thieves.

Mr Searle told 7News that juvenile delinquency in the area has reached a critical point and the teenagers have a total disrespect for life.

“These crooks…they disregard the law, human life and property,” said Mr. Searle.

Two 16-year-old boys have since been accused of being the couple who stole Ms Dawson’s car.

A 16-year-old Wulguru boy was charged with dangerously driving a motor vehicle causing serious bodily harm, entering a home and committing a criminal offense, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and driving without a license.

A 16-year-old Kelso boy has been charged with entering a home and committing a criminal offense and unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

The theft comes days after a Queensland Police investigation concluded that nearly 1,000 juvenile delinquents had been arrested in Townsville on suspicion of committing property crimes in just a year.

A recent Queensland Police investigation found that nearly 1,000 juvenile delinquents had been arrested in Townsville in just one year on suspicion of committing property crimes (pictured: youths scrawling “crime pays” graffiti on th streets of Townsville).

Operation Uniform Cygnus was a year-long operation targeting repeat offenders with the aim of reducing the growing rate of property crime, including burglary and auto theft (Image: Townsville youth).

Operation Uniform Cygnus was a year-long operation that began in early 2022 and targeted repeat offenders.

The police operation aimed to reduce the growing number of property crimes, including burglaries and auto thefts.

A total of 1,322 criminals were arrested and charged with more than 4,000 crimes as part of Operation Uniform Cygnus, with three quarters of those crimes being committed by juvenile delinquents.

Detective Acting Inspector Chris Hicks said the perpetrators were opportunistic and did not discriminate.

“These abusers are opportunistic, and they’ll try every door on the street to get into a home,” he said.

“We can ensure that they are identified, investigated, arrested and brought to justice, that is our focus.”

On Friday, a 13- and 14-year-old boy was charged with 31 felony counts in connection with stealing a Queensland Fire and Ambulance Service vehicle from a Townsville home.

A total of 1,322 offenders have been arrested and charged with more than 4,000 offenses, with juvenile offenders committing three quarters of the offenses (Picture: Townsville)