Boy borrows parents credit card to embark on four-day holiday to Bali by himself

WHEN Emma and her 12-year-old son got into a fight about going to Bali, little did she know he’d steal her credit card and his passport and try anyway.

But the 12-year-old, who A Current Affair gave the fake name of Drew, didn’t get much further than Sydney Airport in his first and second Bali bids.

Both Qantas and Garuda Airlines turned Drew away before he could board a plane, allegedly getting the Australian Federal Police and Border Force involved and informing them of the boy’s brazen attempts.

But when Drew researched budget airline Jetstar, he realised their policy was a little more relaxed.

Little did Emma know, Drew was about to pull off a stunt that most parents would call impossible when he flew all by himself from Australia to Bali — no questions asked.

It was after another heated argument with his mum that Drew decided he’d try for a third time, stealing his mum’s credit card and coaxing his grandma into revealing the location of his passport — that the family had hidden after his previous two attempts.

He filled a backpack with clothes, grabbed his razor scooter and told his mum he was going to school.

Instead, he took a train to the airport and hopped on a Jetstar flight bound for Perth before heading straight on to Denpasar, Bali.

Now Emma, who said she was furious her son was even allowed to leave the country, wants answers.

“He just doesn’t like the word no and that’s what I got, a kid in Indonesia,” she said.

“It’s too easy, way too easy. There’s a problem in our system,” Emma added.

Emma and her partner were panic-stricken for four days, wondering where their son was.

It wasn’t until Drew posted a video of himself playing in a Bali pool and sharing his location with a friend that the worried parents finally realised he wasn’t even in Australia.

“I was shocked and disgusted, there’s no emotion to feel what we felt when we found out that he’d left overseas,” she said.

Emma claims after they discovered Drew’s previous attempts at trying to get overseas they “screamed and begged for help” from the AFP.

“When the first attempt happened we were told his passport was going to be flagged,” she said.

Despite the pleas for help, Drew did manage to get to Bali with ease, tellingA Current Affairhe did things like drinking beer on the beach and driving around a rented scooter in his four days there.

Drew’s family claim they were told by multiple airport professionals, including the AFP, that the family shouldn’t worry.

“We were told it just wouldn’t happen. He wouldn’t get past any airport personnel,” Drew’s nan told A Current Affair.

When Drew’s parents figured out where he was, they notified the AFP who spoke to Indonesian Police and found Drew at his hotel.

The 12-year-old had checked into the All Seasons Hotel four days previous, telling reception he was waiting for his sister and just checking in early.

Fearing the worst, Drew locked himself in his hotel room but the officers unscrewed the window and took him to the police station — where he wasn’t under arrest.

Drew’s parents then had 24 hours to make it to the police station in Bali — the legal amount of time someone not facing criminal charges is allowed to be held.

Despite also having to pass through Perth, Drew’s parents finally made it.

“I got a hug off Dad but Mum didn’t do anything, she was angry,” the 12-year-old said.

Since being home for a few weeks now, Emma wants to know how it all could’ve happened.

“They’d never done their job. He was never flagged, this shouldn’t have happened. if they’d done their job,” she told the program.

“We are still in shock, we just think how did this happen? Considering we screamed, we begged for help,” she added.

Emma said her son’s ability to fly under the radar and “so easily fool our federal police” and make it all the way to Bali is worrying.

Speaking to A Current Affair, Jetstar said it would be putting new measures in place to ensure a story like Drew’s wouldn’t happen again.

The airline did however admit the policy, which allows 12-15 year-olds travel without a parent, was one that was going to stay practical for customers.

The Australian Border Force and AFP said it had never flagged Drew’s passport and were unaware of the 12-year-old, despite allegedly being involved in his previous two attempts with Garuda and Qantas.

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