16-year-old teen fronts court over brutal assault on bus driver and passengers
A bus driver brutally beaten in an unprovoked attack by a group of out-of-control teenagers suffered such significant injuries that he’s been unable to return to work. The magistrate called the attack “terrifying”.
East
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A teen who savagely beat a bus driver after being kicked off with his mates after they attacked fellow passengers has been locked up.
The 16-year-old brute, who cannot be named due to his age, pleaded guilty to the sickening attack at a Childrens’ Court on April 8.
Prosecutor Senior Constable Chris Cato told the court the teen and his mates boarded the bus on Burwood Highway about 9.30pm on March 27 when he snatched a passenger’s bag and carried it with him to the back.
He rifled through the man’s belongings and slapped and punched the man in the face when he asked for his bag back.
An all-out brawl ensued between the boy, his mates, the man and other passengers, prompting the bus driver to slam on the brakes and order the out-of-control teens off, Sen-Constable Cato told the court.
The driver then stood in the doorway of the vehicle to block the rowdy teens from re-entering, but the boy pulled the driver from the doorway and threw him against a nearby wall where the group set upon him.
One teen smashed a bottle over the driver’s head, causing the bottle to break and the driver to fall to the ground.
The teens continued their vicious onslaught as the driver lay defenceless, repeatedly punching and kicking the driver to the face and head, Sen-Constable Cato told the court.
The driver’s injuries were so significant he had not been able to return to work, Sen-Constable Cato said.
The teen’s lawyer told the court her client was drinking heavily shortly before the incident.
“His level of intoxication was such that there were points where his recall was impacted and there were points of blackout,” she told the court.
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Magistrate Jan Maclean said the teen’s behaviour would have been “terrifying” for those involved and a jail term was warranted.
“It would have been terrifying. Drink, drug affected, there’s no excuse at all,” Ms Maclean said.
“You’re the one making these decisions and you’re going to have to own them.”
Ms Maclean sentenced the boy to six months’ youth detention with 52 days pre-sentence detention recognised as time served.