Four charged over Maritimo theft

Four people have been charged after they took a million-dollar-plus boat for a joyride at Sans Souci on Wednesday (Sept 24).

About 12:50pm on the day, a man was driving over Tom Ugly's Bridge when he saw his friend’s Maritimo 52, similar to the one pictured, travelling west along the river. He contacted the owners who were overseas and confirmed the boat had been stolen.

The man contacted the manager of the St George Motor Boat Club who followed the cruiser in a small runabout.

Police from Botany Bay Water Police were contacted and raced to the scene where they found the Maritimo being driven erratically towards the Captain Cook Bridge.

The officers managed to catch up to the boat and board it where they found two men, a woman and a teenage girl inside but no one in control at the helm.

The stolen boat, valued at $1.8million, was returned to the wharf with only minor graffiti damage and the four people were arrested and taken to St George Police Station.

Two men aged 20 and 24 were charged with being carried in a conveyance while the younger man was also charged with destroying or damaging property.

They were both refused bail and appeared in Kogarah Local Court on Thursday September 25.

A 20-year-old woman was charged with being carried in a conveyance and granted bail to appear in Kogarah Local Court on Tuesday October 14.

A 16-year-old girl was charged with taking and driving the boat and will appear in a children’s court on Tuesday October 14.

We know Maritimos are in hot demand, and I'm sure we've all entertained the thought, but stealing a $1.8 million 52 is daft and hardly going to go unnoticed from one of Sydney's biggest boating clubs and marinas. Thankfully, there was negligible damage to the beautiful boat.