Cairns teen charged with horrific rock attack on five-year-old boy
Police have charged a Cairns teen accused of throwing a tennis ball-sized rock that flew through the window of the Kuranda train and fractured the skull of a five-year-old boy.
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Police have charged a Cairns teen accused of throwing a tennis ball-sized rock that flew through the window of the Kuranda train and fractured the skull of a five-year-old boy.
The breakthrough in the investigation came on Monday after the Japanese boy was hit in the forehead on Saturday afternoon and flown to Townsville University Hospital for specialist treatment later that night.
Police stated a 14-year-old Cairns North boy had been charged with endangering the safety of a person in a vehicle with intent following the incident near the intersection of James and Law streets, Cairns North.
The alleged assailant is co-operating with investigating officers.
Three other juveniles accused of throwing large rocks through the open windows of the Kuranda Scenic Railway carriage remain at large as police renew an appeal for witnesses to come forward.
Detective inspector Cindy Searle couldn’t say whether all four children alleged to be involved were throwing rocks at the passing train.
“I can say that we believe that multiple people were throwing rocks, but whether we can say all four, I don’t have that specific information,” she said.
“The investigations identified the people that were in the area and … police were able to ascertain the identity of the person that has been arrested.”
The attack on the Japanese family, including an uninjured sibling of the five-year-old who witnessed the horrific incident, has been met with widespread outrage, which Detective Inspector Searle said was justified.
“I can understand completely the public outrage in relation to any person who goes anywhere on a holiday expecting that they can safely undertake holiday tourist activities, so that’s a perfectly understandable response,” she said.
“It is quite concerning that a child has been injured in this fashion, this is an unusual type of crime for a safety message for people what they might be able to do realistically, there’s not really anything that you can do.”
Detective Inspector Searle declined to comment further on the boy’s arrest.
The family are understood to be supported by the Japanese Consulate General which has an office on Lake St, Cairns City.
The accused has been remanded in custody to appear in the Cairns Childrens Court on October 22.
Originally published as Cairns teen charged with horrific rock attack on five-year-old boy
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