Corio carpark brawl under police probe, teen victim left shaken, as witness shocked at people taking video

People looking for their 15 seconds of fame by capturing video of ugly brawls are extending victims’ trauma, experts say, with the actions of bystanders criticised during a recent incident at Corio.

Experts have warned teen brawls and assaults being filmed and circulated online could further traumatise ­victims.

A man, who intervened when several teen girls allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl with special needs in Corio on Sunday, said he was shocked by the number of people who just stood by and filmed the ­incident.

Several teenage girls were also charged over a vicious alleged assault of another girl at Eastern Beach in October last year, which was filmed and circulated on social media.

Geelong Superintendent Peter Ward said police wanted to remind people assault was a criminal offence and certainly not something that should be glorified and shared via social media for entertainment ­purposes.

“While social media is very much a part of everyday life in the modern world, police do not condone the sharing of footage that depicts violence across social media channels,” he said.

“If you have witnessed an assault or have been a victim of this kind of violence, we strongly encourage you to contact police immediately so the matter can be investigated thoroughly.”

Supt Peter Ward

It’s understood police had no evidence to suggest the sharing of violent footage on social media was encouraging others to get involved in fights or brawls.

Deakin University’s Bianca Klettke, a leading academic in the field of cyberpsychology, said filming such incidents, rather than intervening, was “almost a form of secondary bullying”.

“It perpetuates the conflict,” she said.

Dr Klettke said young people shared their lives online.

“There isn’t that barrier ­because everything they do plays out online … they forget the secondary traumatisation of those involved,” she said.

A spokeswoman for eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said in cases of school fights uploaded to online platforms, gratuitous depictions of real violence that were excessively detailed or prolonged may be subject to take-down action under the strengthened Online Safety Act.

The act came into effect earlier this year and gives ­eSafety more powers to protect Australians in the fight against online harms. “eSafety helps Australians keep safe online,” the spokeswoman said.

“We advise ‘fight videos’ of students to be reported to the social media platform they appear on and if it’s not removed, report to the eSafety Commissioner at www.esafety.gov.au.”

Corio girls’ group attack leaves teen victim shaken

Police are investigating after a 13-year-old with special needs was allegedly dragged by the hair and punched repeatedly by a group of girls at Corio Village shopping centre.

A good Samaritan who intervened in the disturbing incident, which occurred at the shopping centre carpark on Sunday, said he was shocked by the number of people who failed to step in and instead filmed the violence.

The victim, who was left shaken by the incident, was set upon by up to five girls, and the attack follows another local assault involving multiple teenage girls last year.

Joel Wackett, a child protection officer, was on his way to the supermarket and initially thought the group of girls was mucking around until he heard screams.

“They had a substantially smaller girl by the hair and dragged her past Ms Matilda’s cafe,” he said.

“They had her against a brick wall and were basically punching her so I started yelling at them and that’s when the victim bolted out of the situation.”

The victim’s mother said she worries how the incident will impact her daughter’s fragile mental health.

Corio Village car park was the site of an alleged brawl. Picture: Alison Wynd

She said at least two of the attackers were known to the family.

“I was receiving messages and threatening phone calls on Sunday night telling me if I go to the police that they will get someone to run through my house and if they see my daughter out on the street they will ‘do worse next time’,” the mother said.

“They need to be stopped before someone gets seriously hurt.”

While her daughter avoided serious injury she was left shaken by the incident.

“I’m upset but it hasn’t fully kicked in yet, I am more worried about how it will affect my daughter, I am worried she will suppress her feelings,” she said.

“I am just so thankful (Mr Wackett) was there at the right time.”

A Victoria Police spokeswoman confirmed the Corio Village incident was under investigation.

“It’s believed five teenagers were involved in an altercation when a 13-year-old girl was assaulted at a shopping centre on Purnell Road just after 2pm,” she said.

“The girl wasn’t injured and it’s believed the teenagers are known to each other.”

Mr Wackett described the incident as“quite traumatising.”

He said he was concerned by the amount of violence stemming from the young girls who he described as between 13 to 17 years old.

“There is so much violence at such young ages, seeing the demographic of people in low socio economic areas like Corio, you can see the age of violence is just dropping and assaults are taking place with people as young as 11,” he said.

Several teenage girls were charged over a vicious assault of another girl at Eastern Beach in October last year, which was filmed and circulated on social media.

A teenage Bell Post Hill boy died after he was stabbed multiple times when two groups of youths clashed near Corio Village in August 2020.

Geelong Superintendent Peter Ward said there had been isolated incidents of youth crime.

“We are aware of historical issues with groups of young people particularly in Geelong’s CBD confronting other people over a variety of matters, generally known to each other,” he said.

“We are engaging with high risk youth units and other external stakeholders to understand factors for this and engage with our community to see what else we can do.”

Anyone with information on Sunday’s incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.

Originally published as Corio carpark brawl under police probe, teen victim left shaken, as witness shocked at people taking video