Teen’s fixations provoke crime sprees: court

Authorities have raised concerns over a volatile teen prone to dangerous hyperfixations – including Nazis and fire – who has racked up dozens of charges and bail breaches in his young life.

A volatile Sydney teen has racked up dozens of criminal charges and bail breaches over a series of confronting offences in recent months.

A volatile teen who has racked up dozens of criminal charges and bail breaches over a series of confronting offences arising from his propensity for dangerous hyperfixations has avoided juvenile detention once again over his latest crimes.

Despite multiple authorities raising alarm about the child and the risk he poses to others, the Attorney-General’s office has not responded to repeated requests for comment about how it intends to preserve the community’s wellbeing – or address the child’s deeply complex needs – moving forward.

The teen, who has multiple complex diagnoses, most recently faced court after he terrorised his neighbours with Nazi paraphernalia for the second time in mere weeks while in the throes of his latest hyperfixation.

The 15-year-old was remanded in a juvenile detention facility in October after he scrawled and carved Nazi swastikas, “heil Hitler”, “Blut und Boden” and “gas the Jews” into trees, footpaths and driveways in a Gymea street.

Only three weeks earlier, he had completed four weeks on remand in juvenile detention and been sentenced to probation for waving a Nazi flag and yelling out “heil Hitler”.

Sutherland Local Court.

On Wednesday at Sutherland Children’s Court, a police prosecutor told Magistrate Alison Viney the teen’s offending flares up every time he develops a new dangerous fixation.

The teen’s most recent fixation is Nazis – but previously, it was fire.

Some of the graffiti etched by the child.

“When he becomes fixated, the offending behaviour increases to a point where the only option is for police to become involved,” the sergeant said.

“The public manner in which it was undertaken, the Nazi symbols combined with the intimidation and the assaults towards his carers (in the first incident), I would submit strongly requires the need for protection of the community moving forward.”

The court has previously heard the teen has been charged 31 times – including with being armed with intent, and creating an explosive device – and has breached bail conditions 17 times.

After his most recent arrest, the teen spent nine days at Cobham Youth Justice Centre – where a court previously heard he was refusing to be medicated – before he was involuntarily admitted to a Justice Health forensic mental health facility for adolescents with acute mental health issues who are also involved with the criminal justice system.

Swastikas found etched and painted on trees along North West Arm Rd in Gymea.

The boy has been diagnosed with autism, conduct disorder, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, with other potential diagnoses still being explored.

“It’s well recorded where the young person has been non-compliant with court orders in the past,” the sergeant said.

“There have been matters involving using fire to cause harm – looking at the record, there was a period of offending-free behaviour from the young person, but that has spiked in recent times.”

The teen’s solicitor Denny Cifuentes agreed the teen was predisposed to fixations, but that his recent time in custody had caused him to reflect on his actions.

,Swastikas found etched and painted on trees and the footpath along North West Arm Rd in Gymea.

“He wishes to convey he won’t do it again,” Mr Cifuentes said.

“He has been well behaved since he has been at the hospital, he has been compliant with medication – it’s caused him to take a stern hard look at himself and the circumstances he finds himself in.”

At an earlier bail application, Magistrate David Williams – who has dealt with most of the teen’s previous criminal proceedings – observed he was an intelligent young person who did things to “get a rise” out of people.

Ms Viney opted to take no action on the breach of the teen’s probation on the first set of charges involving the display of Nazi symbols.

For the new charges of knowingly displaying Nazi symbols and property damage, she sentenced him to 12 months’ probation with supervision by Juvenile Justice and a requirement to comply with all medication and psychological and psychiatric treatment recommended to him.

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