Juvenile threatened youth worker with knife, kicked another in head while driving

A violent young teen who chased a residential youth facility worker with a knife after being denied a lift to McDonalds has been remanded in detention due to her continued offending.

A violent young teen who brandished a knife at a residential youth facility worker after being denied a lift to McDonalds has been remanded in detention due to her continued offending.

The teen, now about 14, was sentenced in Rockhampton District Court on September 20 for one count of armed robbery, two counts of common assaults and one of wilful damage.

The teen was 12 when she attempted an armed robbery against a support worker at a youth residential centre.

Judge Jeff Clarke said the teen “demanded to be taken to McDonald’s at night” and after being told no, the teen abused the support worker, called her names and wrecked things in the centre.

He said the defendant tried to take some petty cash and then took out a large kitchen knife and brandished it at the victim.

“(The defendant) chased her, (she) demanded money from her,” Judge Clarke said.

“(The defendant) knocked the phone from her hand so that she couldn’t get anyone to help her.

“(The defendant) threatened to slit her throat and you carried on for about 10 minutes.

“(She) only stopped after police were called.”

Judge Clarke said the teen attacked another worker – this time the worker was driving the teen to school.

He said when the worker told the teen to put her seatbelt on she told the worker she had other plans rather than school that day.

Judge Clarke said the teen “demanded” to be taken somewhere else.

The defendant kicked the gear stick into park while the victim was driving the car.

After the victim fixed the gear stick, the defendant leaned back in her seat and kicked and punched the victim’s head while she was driving the car.

The teen got out of the car and ran to a nearby McDonald’s shop and started to argue with the people in there.

The victim followed the defendant inside and asked her to behave “appropriately” but the teen carried out a tirade of abuse.

A few months later, the defendant attacked the victim again after being on the phone with her father.

Judge Clarke said the teen called the worker names and threatened to bash her.

“(The defendant) demanded that she do things for you, telling her that she worked for (her),” he said.

Judge Clarke said the victim tried to hide in an office to get away from the teen and her violence, with the teen pushing the door and hitting the worker in the face with the door.

He said the teen wrecked the victim’s phone, leaving the victim stuck in the room with no way to get help and fearing the teen was off arming herself with a knife.

“There has been similar offences of violence, including violent attacks upon other support workers, people who were charged with the responsibility of looking after you being a child in care, or on security staff when you’re being asked to leave shopping centres that you’ve already been banned from, or when someone was trying to stop you from stealing things,” Judge Jeff Clarke said.

The court heard the teenager had outstanding matters in the children’s court.

Judge Clarke said a presentence report, written without the teenage girl’s parents input as they could not be contacted, informed the judge of the trauma the girl had experienced, how she witnessed her parents using illicit drugs and her lack of “positive noncriminal instruction”.

He said it also highlighted her lack of education and chroming abuse.

Judge Clarke ordered the teen to 18 months probation with a recommendation she be assessed and treated for anger management, and assessed for possible Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.