Four children left a note of farewell, traveled 1,000 kilometers, stole and were arrested after a lawsuit

Four children ages 10 to 14 stowed fishing rods in a father's truck, left a note of farewell and traveled more than 1,000 kilometers from the east coast of Australia before to be intercepted by the police. the next day, after two gas thefts and a short lawsuit by the police, an agent said Monday.

Sunday at 10:40 pm, when police arrested the children near Grafton, in the state of New South Wales, she closed the doors and refused to leave, said Interim Inspector Darren Williams.

An officer used a baton to break a window of the Nissan Patrol, allegedly stolen, Williams said.

The police were not sure which child was driving or why they had left Saturday in Rockhampton, Queensland state. The children were a 14-year-old boy, two 13-year-old boys and a 10-year-old girl.

Williams said that they could have taken turns driving.

"It's a long way, over 1000 km (600 miles) from Rockhampton to Grafton, I can not imagine that one person drove it all in two days," Williams told reporters.

The children are believed to have left unpaid gasoline at gas stations in Banana, Queensland, and Warialda, New South Wales, police said.

They were also pursued by police in Glenn Innes, a town in New South Wales, where he allegedly drove one of the 13-year-olds, Williams said.

"There was a brief prosecution with the road patrol and, due to the age of the driver and the condition of the road, the traffic patrol agents and the general police who participated ( …) put an end to the action, "he said. l & # 39; Inspector

The 14 year old boy lived in Grafton, which could have been the destination of his trip.

The van remained unpaid Sunday at the Banana gas station at around 4:35 am, according to the school cashier, Harry White, who estimated that the children would have left Rockhampton around midnight.

Mr. White, who was not working at the time, said he saw the footage from the security camera and was struck by the driver's small size, which was lower than the truck door. The driver behaved calmly, filled the tank, spoke to a pbadenger and then left the hose in place before leaving, White said.

The children had taken money leaving Rockhampton and one of the 13 year olds had "left a message to his family stating that he was leaving," police said.

The police had not yet interviewed the children as they could not be interviewed without the presence of a parent or guardian. Williams said charges would be laid against him, although he did not list the alleged crimes.

Wiliams did not specify whether the children were related or how they knew each other.

Schools are closed in New South Wales for the mid-year holidays, while Queensland's course is over Monday.

In Queensland, drivers must be at least 17 years old and apply for a license.

* AP