Violent teen crim refused care by terrified DHHS staff, Children’s Court hears
Terrified child protection staff are refusing to take a teenage boy back into care due to his alleged shocking record of violence, which include a vicious stabbing and threat to “rip” a worker’s face.
East
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A violent teen criminal so bad that terrified child protection staff have refused to let him return to residential care has been forced to spend another night in youth detention.
The 15-year-old boy, who has been in custody since April 27, faced a Children’s Court yesterday to ask for bail.
But his bid for freedom was stymied by a Department of Health and Human Services report that told the court the boy could not return to his eastern suburbs residential unit because it had “closed”.
The boy could also not be housed at an alternative fully supervised unit because of staff safety fears, a DHHS staff member told the court.
The teen could be placed at a unit that had staff available “on call”, the DHHS employee told the court, but she conceded it was not permanently supervised and staff attendance was “inconsistent”.
“They’re unwilling to accept the risk he poses to staff and clients (at a fully supervised unit),” the staffer told the court.
The boy faces serious charges including intentionally cause serious injury after he allegedly stabbed and nearly killed a man during a burglary in Melbourne’s east in March.
Detective Senior Constable Thomas Crocket told the court during an earlier bail hearing on May 20 the boy allegedly stabbed his victim five times.
One stab wound allegedly came within millimetres of the man’s heart, Sen-Constable Crocket told the court at the time, and the man was lucky to be alive.
“It’s just luck that the knife missed,” Sen-Constable Crocket told the court.
Sen-Constable Crocket also told the court last month the boy allegedly threatened to kill a staff member at his residential care unit in April for dobbing him in to police for breaching his bail.
Sen-Constable Crocket told the court the boy allegedly threatened to “rip” the staff member’s face and told him he knew where he lived before spitting at him.
Magistrate Jan Maclean said it was “unacceptable” that DHHS would propose placing the boy in unsupervised accommodation once released.
She said the boy’s risk of reoffending would increase without full supervision and community safety would be compromised.
The boy’s lawyer also told the court his client had recently re-engaged with his education while in custody and showed an interest in undertaking counselling.
“This situation is appalling and it cannot be allowed to continue where (he) is in the care of the department and no suitable placement is made available,” Ms Maclean said.
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“He can’t return to his family, but won’t be looked after by the agency entrusted with his care … this is just not good enough in my opinion. If you want to take these children away then you should look after them.”
The boy faces charges including making threats to kill, unlicensed driving, unlawful assault, aggravated burglary, resist and assault police, theft and intentionally cause serious injury.
Ms Maclean adjourned the matter yesterday for another hearing today.