Operation Meld: teenager charged over Quest Hotel affray tells court jail is preferable to being locked in on home detention

An alleged member of an African youth gang who has been charged with nine counts of breaching bail has told a court he would rather be behind bars than at home.

An alleged member of an African youth gang arrested over a brawl outside the Nairobi Lounge which left a person with serious stab wounds has told the Youth Court he would rather be behind bars than detained at home.

The teenager has been charged with nine counts of breaching bail and also escaping police custody since the brawl earlier this year, which resulted in his arrest by officers attached to Operation Meld.

During a hearing in the Youth Court on Thursday, the teen’s lawyer told the court that the multiple of breaching bail charges were likely to be admitted.

He said most related to the teenager, who had been told to wear an electronic monitoring ankle device, being out of his home after curfew.

However, the lawyer said he would be asking the prosecution to consider downgrading the charge of escaping custody to resist police.

Magistrate Elizabeth Sheppard heard that the teenager had been pulled over after a brief pursuit by police and while he was being spoken to, tried to escape on foot.

“Did he get far?” Ms Sheppard asked.

“He was arrested a very short time later,” the man’s lawyer responded.

The teenager has remained in a youth detention facility for more than a month since his arrest on that charge.

During the hearing the court heard the teenager wanted to be released on bail.

A youth worker sitting with the teenager told the court that the young man did not want to have to wear any kind of ankle monitor when released, or be kept on home detention.

Scene of a stabbing murder on North Tce across from UniSA. Picture: Brenton Edwards

The court heard that the teenager had previously said he would prefer to remain in the detention facility than to be kept on home detention in the community.

The case was adjourned for two weeks for the preparation of reports on his suitability to be released into the community.

During a separate hearing on the same day, another youth arrested as part of the Operation Meld had a charge of riot withdrawn and replaced with a charge of affray.

Both incidents relate to a fight outside the Nairobi Lounge on March 13 this year.

Many people were involved in the fight which spilt out of the venue and on to the footpath as men armed with knives and machetes fought it out.

Police have linked the brawl to feuding between different African youth gangs.

The fighting reached its zenith in the early hours of April 15 when Ngor Bol was stabbed to death near the Quest Hotel in Adelaide.

Two people, a youth and an adult, have been charged with murder over the stabbing and have yet to plead.