Mayers St residents living in fear amid teen campaign of terror
Elderly residents under siege from a gang of teens have become prisoners in their own homes in this Far North Queensland neighbourhood. But they’ve had enough.
Cairns
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Considered to be prisoners in their own homes, elderly residents under siege from a marauding pack of teens have taken a stand to demand the return of a once-safe neighbourhood.
Walking into the row of cottages set back from the main road off Mayers St, it is clear the place has seen better days.
Broken furniture spews out of wheelie bins, once colourfully decorated fences sit peeling and faded while piles of forgotten palm fronds decompose in the sun.
Bong-making implements and discarded deodorant cans litter a graffitied picnic table in a grassed common area.
The row of two bedroom block houses at 94-98 Mayers Street Manunda make up a complex of social housing properties owned by the Department of Housing.
At 76, Catherine Gregson has become the unofficial spokeswoman for a group of elderly neighbours who are frightened and not sure where to turn.
Ms Gregson says the area is not safe, she says taxi drivers refuse to enter for fear of having vehicles damaged, she says the stress of it all is impacting her health.
“It hasn’t always been as disgusting and as dangerous as it is now, but it’s getting worse and just going to wreck and ruin,” she said.
Police are regular visitors to the complex and Ms Gregson has pleaded with the Department of Housing for lighting upgrades to deter anti-social behaviour.
“They ring the police and ring housing, we all do it but they say there’s nothing that can be done,” she said.
It’s understood the same group of youths alleged to be behind terrorising of the residents have also waged a campaign against business owners on Pease St and Reservoir Rd by threatening to rape one proprietor in a situation so dire that shop keepers were forced to temporarily lock doors and ask customers to knock to be let inside.
It is not clear exactly where the youths live.
One 85-year-old neighbour had his unit broken into last week, his car and phone was stolen along with a hearing aid that cost $900 to replace.
But it was the threats to Ms Gregson’s little silky terrier Lady that triggered a terrible feeling of dread.
“They threatened to kill her,” she said.
“This has been going on for a long time but last week there was about six to eight of them that were surrounding my house and banging all the windows and going around the house banging hard and I thought that they were going to break in.
“And they said ‘we’re coming in, we’re going to kill Lady’.”
Ms Gregson said on Monday an intervention by the Department of Housing and a social support agency took residents aside and explained efforts to improve the situation and since then the 76-year-old said things had got better, but she remained fearful of a return by youths alleged to be responsible for the torment.
“We deserve to live in peace, it’s a nightmare, it’s even worse than that,” she said.
Police stated officers were aware of a number of alleged incidents involving young people that have occurred around Mayers Street recently.
A Queensland Police spokesman said officers are working with local residents and businesses to improve community safety.
“This includes responding to calls for service, increased patrols in the affected area and working with our partner agencies to best support victims and address behaviour, in line with current QPS protocols,” the spokesman told the Cairns Post.
“Intervention and rehabilitation for young offenders are crucial in breaking the cycle of crime and delivering long-term change.
“Police are committed to tackling youth crime from various angles, including locking-up young offenders who threaten to harm our community.”
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Originally published as Mayers St residents living in fear amid teen campaign of terror
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