Central Victorian youth crim’s 60th bail bid after alleged attempted tomahawk home invasion

One of Central Victoria’s most “prolific” youth offenders made his 60th bail bid after allegedly trying to hack through a Bendigo woman’s front door with a tomahawk.

Police allege the teen swung a tomahawk at a Bendigo woman. Picture: Supplied.

A prolific youth criminal applied for his 60th count of bail after he was charged over a horrific tomahawk attack on a Bendigo woman in her home less than a month after he was released with a slap on the wrist for a hammer wielding home invasion.

The 16-year-old, who has previously been described by police intelligence as one of Central Victoria’s worst car thieves, applied for his 60th count of bail in five years on Thursday following the alleged tomahawk attack.

Police allege the teen was caught on CCTV pulling a tomahawk out of his jacket as he approached an Eaglehawk home on July 7 about 1am.

The teen then allegedly swung the tomahawk at a woman who was standing behind the steel security door.

The woman fled to the bathroom, and police were called, while the teen allegedly continued to hack at the door with the tomahawk and then smash a window.

The teen applied for bail after he was arrested hiding in a cupboard.

The teen was arrested at a house, hiding in a closet.

The teen had been released from custody less than a month prior for another violent home invasion where a man was attacked with a claw hammer on Helm St in Kangaroo Flat – alongside about 80 other charges related to “violence and dishonesty”, the court heard.

The court heard the teen was sentenced to a six months’ youth attendance order after spending about four months in pre-sentence detention, which both Youth Justice and police allege he had shown “little to none” compliance with.

Detective Senior Constable Justin Ludeman told the court the victim of the home invasion was “extremely fearful for her safety” if the teen was released on bail, arguing the incident came just shy of an aggravated burglary and the woman could have been seriously or “fatally” injured.

Police allege the teen had been involved in criminal activity almost immediately after being released from custody.

Police had executed 91 warrants for the teen in the last 12 months, detective Ludeman told the court, and repeat offender had been released on 59 counts of bail over the last five years for “serious, violent criminal offending”

Detective Ludeman argued the teen had regular breached almost every court order imposed on him during that time, which had been “absolutely no barrier” in him committing further “prolific offending”.

Police said he had multiple supports available, which he had not made use of in any meaningful way the entire time he had previously been on bail, and nothing short of locking him up had stopped him from terrorising the community.

“There is nothing more the court can do to reduce any of the risk to the community,” detective Ludeman said.

The teen’s lawyer tried to downplay the horrific allegations, arguing the teen had only been charged with criminal damage and possessing a dangerous article and the Helm St hammer home invasion had been “far more serious”.

Magistrate Megan Aumair said the incident was “almost an aggravated burglary”.

Ms Aumair said “everyone except [the teen]” had been working hard to support him, but his compliance with court orders had been “terrible”.

Ms Aumair said she had previously released the teen on “a number of occasions” because the teen had promised again and again he would stay away from drugs and criminal associates.

“He’s broken his promise,” she said.

Ms Aumair found the teen to be a “serious risk of endangering the safety” of the community, and refused his bail.