‘Keep the community safe’: Bec Judd denies accusation she ‘wants children in jail’

The Melbourne businesswoman and influencer rubbished accusations she wants children “in jail” after airing her latest concerns.

Melbourne businesswoman and influencer Rebecca Judd has hit back at accusations she wants children “in jail” after airing her latest concerns about violent crime.

The 41-year-old, who lives in the affluent suburb of Brighton with her husband, AFL great Chris Judd, and their four children, has become known for being vocal on the issue in the Victorian capital, particularly in her local Bayside area.

This week, the TV personality slammed the decision to release a 16-year-old on bail who had been charged with theft of a motor vehicle.

The teenager allegedly stole a Mercedes from a woman with cerebral palsy, and was speeding and driving it on the wrong side of the road when he crashed into a Volvo.

“Keep Victorians (not just Baysiders) safe. Already out on bail and probably breaking into some innocent person’s home tonight,” Judd wrote on her Instagram Story.

“(Victorian Premier) @jacintaallanmp (Victorian Attorney-General) @jaclynsymesmp Victoria is falling to pieces on your watch. You should both be ashamed.”

At least one of Judd’s 756,000 followers took issue with her stance, direct-messaging her: “So you’re cool with putting children in jail?”

Sharing the exchange on her Story, Judd responded: “No, I’m not.”

Chris and Rebecca Judd. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Melbourne businesswoman and influencer Rebecca Judd has hit back at accusations she wants children “in jail” after airing her latest concerns about violent crime. Picture: Instagram

“I think there are better ways to save these kids like preventative programs/social scaffolding etc,” she continued.

“But I’m more than okay with putting violent reoffenders in jail who’ve been given chance after chance. You know the ones who invade people’s homes with machetes, attack them, steal their cars and hit and kill innocent civilians while driving them?

“We need to keep the community safe and there is a small group of violent reoffenders who are causing the majority of problems. I am more than happy to see them incarcerated to keep Victorians safe. I hope that makes sense.”

She further captioned the screenshot: “Just so we are clear. If we had better preventative programs we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“They take time though and they won’t save the many families who will have their homes invaded tonight and tomorrow and the next day,” Judd added.

“We need long and short term plans to deal with this crisis.”

The 41-year-old at the famous Brighton Beach boxes. Picture: Instagram

Judd with three of her four children. Picture: Instagram

Judd has been both praised for using her platform to bring attention to the issue of crime in her neighbourhood and criticised for complaining given her luxurious lifestyle.

Back in May 2022, she said she felt unsafe in her multimillion-dollar mansion and claimed the Victorian government didn’t “seem to care” or be doing anything about violent crime in Bayside.

The mum-of-four said she personally knew two women who had experienced home invasions in Brighton in a matter of weeks.

Then-premier Daniel Andrews refuted her comments, claiming “the data would tell a different story” and that he was “not interesting in having an argument with Ms Judd”.

“I’m also obliged to point out though, I think there are more than 70 additional police in the Bayside area, and the most recent crime statistics released by an independent agency would not support those sweeping assessments about patterns of crime.”

With husband, Chris Judd. Picture: Instagram

Judd has been vocal about crime in her area since 2022. Picture: Instagram

Judd took aim at the state government and Premier Jacinta Allan again earlier this year after the Herald Sun revealed an “extreme” group of 80 repeat youth offenders had all been arrested more than 10 times in the past 12 months.

“Victoria Police are doing their job. The justice system and State Government are not,” Judd wrote alongside a screenshot of the article.

“@jacintaallanmp stays quiet while we wonder if a gang of machete wielding youths are going to invade our homes while our children sleep.

“Lock bail offenders up. Ban machetes and other weapons. There’s a start.”

There were 4385 criminal incidents recorded in Bayside in 2023 compared to 3756 in 2022, an increase of 16.7 per cent, according to the latest data from the Victorian Crime Statistics Agency.

The top suburbs targeted in Bayside were Brighton, Brighton East and Hampton.

For aggravated burglaries by suburb – meaning someone is home at the time of the crime – Brighton came in at 16th in the state, with a total of 45 offences, according to analysis by the Herald Sun.

In June, Judd was applauded by Liberal MPs after labelling Melbourne “woke, broke and violent” for authorities’ failure to crack down on crime.

Sandringham MP and Victorian shadow treasurer Brad Rowswell told news.com.au at the time it was wrong to discredit or disrespect Judd’s views simply because of her affluent lifestyle.

“What she is doing is really just calling it out as it is. She is saying what so many people in my community are thinking,” he said.

“What she is doing is standing up for innocent victims in her community and the government should be listening to her.”

Brighton MP James Newbury agreed Judd’s voice was “important and every member of the community should be encouraged to speak out”.

– with Chantelle Francis

Originally published as ‘Keep the community safe’: Bec Judd denies accusation she ‘wants children in jail’