Children threaten woman with rape as they terrorise businesses in Manoora

A woman in her late 60s is among a strip of business traders in Manoora being terrorised by a group of children who have repeatedly threatened to bash and rape her.

Businesses on Anderson Street, Pease Street and Reservoir Road are fed up with out of control youths causing a nuisance and committing crimes in the area, which is scaring away customers. Cardzilla owners Andrew Nakovics and Steve Bates have had teenage children come into their store and damage property during business hours, causing them to temporarily lock the front door of their printing business. Picture: Brendan Radke

A woman in her late 60s is among a strip of business traders in Manoora being terrorised by a group of children who have repeatedly threatened to bash and rape her.

The young people, whose age range is estimated at between eight and 13, have been shoplifting, breaking windows, and threatening workers over the past fortnight.

The businesses, most of whom have been in the strip for more than a decade, said they had “never experienced anything like it” and the behaviour was escalating.

Workers and business owners on Pease St near the corner of Reservoir Rd, about 10 minutes from the city centre, told theCairns Post they feel “terrorised” by the group of youths, with many retail stores now locking their doors during the dayor closing earlier to avoid being targeted.

Businesses on Anderson Street, Pease Street and Reservoir Road are fed up with out of control youths causing a nuisance and committing crimes in the area, which is scaring away customers. Cardzilla owners Steve Bates and Andrew Nakovics have had teenage children come into their store and damage property during business hours, causing them to temporarily lock the front door of their printing business. Picture: Brendan Radke

The core group of alleged offenders features about four males – although it sometimes swells to more significant numbers.

A shop worker in her late 60s from the area said several young males from the group aged between 10 and 13 had been regularlythreatening her with rape.

“They have been coming in yelling and swearing at me, saying they are going to rape me and bash me,” she said.

“They keep on coming in and repeating it and telling me it is going to happen.”

Businesses on Anderson Street, Pease Street and Reservoir Road are fed up with out of control youths causing a nuisance and committing crimes in the area, which is scaring away customers. Cardzilla has had teenage children come into their store and damage property during business hours, causing them to temporarily lock the front door of their printing business. Picture: Brendan Radke

Andrew Nakovics, owner of the card design business Cardzilla, said eight young people, including the core group of four, triedto force their way into his store that same afternoon, but he chased them off.

Cardzilla is one of several retail businesses that told the Cairns Post they started locking their doors during the day in the last two weeks since the incidents began – leaving customers to knock on the door to be let in.

Members of a group of young people who have allegedly been committing offences in and around businesses on Pease Street.

Others have started closing early or ensure no staff member leaves the premises alone.

On Monday afternoon, a worker from another store said that the group number had swelled to 13 and that one of them smiledat her as he left the business with stolen goods before spitting in her face.

One elderly business owner who did not want to be identified said she’d had her business for nearly 20 years, but for the first time she was now locking her retail shop doors during business hours after the group came into her shop and the youngestmember crawled along the floor so they could take money from the till.

She said the youngest member looked about eight years old and had also broken into her business through the back door to throwitems at her.

The business owners are in the process of meeting with officers from the West Cairns Police Facility, who have suggested City Council install CCTV Cameras on the strip.

In a statement to the Cairns Post, police said that a person “under the age of 10 years is not criminally responsible forany act or omission”.

“With that said, police sadly do work closely with children under 10, some for offending while others are victims of crime.”

Originally published as Children threaten woman with rape as they terrorise businesses in Manoora