The home where a girl was allegedly held against her will and tortured has burnt to the ground days after vigilante threats to firebomb the property.
Police believe the home in Tewantin was set alight in the early hours of Wednesday.
The home where three girls – aged 12, 13 and 14 – allegedly attacked and tortured their teenage victim had been vandalised days before the arson attack.
Police will allege the girl was lured to the property before being beaten, slashed with a knife and verbally abused in a prolonged attack on March 11.
The trio have been charged with multiple offences including assault causing bodily harm, deprivation of liberty and armed robbery.
All three have been remanded in custody to face Maroochydore Childrens Court.
However, footage of the incident uploaded to social media captured the girls boasting about the attack, sparking a wave of public outrage and a spate of vandalism attacks at the property.
While the family living there has vacated, tensions erupted when the Tewantin home was engulfed in flames about 1.30am on Wednesday.
No one was at the property at the time and no injuries were reported as the home burned to the ground.
Police have declared a crime scene and are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to contact detectives, who condemned the arson attack and appealed for calm.
“We’ll investigate those matters heavily. We just don’t want a continuation of this type of behaviour,” Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Mansfield told reporters.
“So, we don’t condone this behaviour in any way, shape or form and those people who do commit those kinds of acts will be prosecuted if we do identify who they are.”
Police have also launched an investigation into “racially motivated” material distributed in the region in the lead-up to the arson.
“Early indications indicate that the flyer itself had been generated by people that don’t live on the Sunshine Coast (and) have no connection to the Sunshine Coast,” Superintendent Craig Hawkins said.
“That not only has been distributed here but also been distributed in another location in the South-East Queensland area.”
Supt Hawkins said the material had been distributed by “gutless” individuals in an attempt to incite radical behaviour.
“Everyone has the right in Queensland to feel safe, to not be a victim and to live harmoniously within the environment within the state,” he said.
“The cultural heritage of the people who did occupy this home is completely irrelevant.
“A matter has occurred. Police have investigated that matter. And these individuals are now before a court for justice to be delivered – we take acts of racial discrimination or racially motivated events very seriously.”
Anyone who may have witnessed the incident, or has dashcam or CCTV from the surrounding area, is urged to contact police.
