Calls for improved Bayside park safety after Dendy Park rape, assaults

A teenage boy has been left for dead after a vicious Cheltenham attack. It’s the latest in a string of violent assaults in Bayside parks, fuelled by social media.

Police and Bayside Council have warned parents about a spate of violent incidents believed to be linked to a controversial Snapchat feature.

Furious and frightened Bayside residents are calling for better lighting and surveillance cameras to be installed in parks following a spate of violent crimes at teen gatherings in the area.

It comes after the Leader last month revealed a 16-year-old girl had been raped at Dendy Park after a group of youths tracked the party’s location via social media.

There have also been a spate of violent assaults and robberies at various parks across Bayside in recent months, including a brutal bashing at Cheltenham Golf Course which left a teenage boy unconscious and “face down in a pool of blood”.

Jodie Thornton told the Leader her husband had got home late and taken the couple’s dog for a walk at the golf course about midnight on March 23 when he came across the bloodied teen.

“He was calling the dog but she wouldn’t come back so he went to see what she was looking at and found this boy face down with blood everywhere,” she said.

“He thought he was dead.

“My husband didn’t have his phone with him so he sprinted to Cheltenham station and told the officers there.

“It took about five minutes to bring (the teen) around.”

Thugs are believed to be using Shapchat’s Snap Maps feature to target large gatherings in Bayside.

Ms Thornton said she came to sit with the teen while they waited for an ambulance to arrive.

“When he first came to he had signs of a concussion — he was slurring his words and his face was so swollen,” she said.

“He told me he’d been out with a group of people and they just bashed him.

“He didn’t want to press charges, he was too scared. He said he didn’t want to make a big deal.”

Ms Thornton said the 18-year-old, a Year 12 student, was friends with one of his attackers but had only met the other three that night.

She said there had been an “alarming amount” of violent attacks in the area recently and she didn’t feel safe walking through parks at night.

“As a woman I would never go walking alone at night anyway and I grew up in Springvale so I’ve always carried my keys in my hand but my husband’s really on edge now too,” she said.

“But there have been so many teen parties in parks lately — I think they prefer gatherings to going out somewhere these days.

“Especially after COVID when there was nowhere to go, people just started meeting in parks.”

Ms Thornton said she feared what could have happened to the teen if her dog hadn’t found him.

“Golfers wouldn’t have got to him until at least 7am and who knows what state he could have been in by then?,” she said.

The teen’s attackers were believed to have been around the same age and caucasian in appearance.

“We need more lighting and CCTV in parks to help boost safety,” Ms Thornton said.

Leader readers echoed Ms Thornton’s call for safety upgrades.

Claudia Pernat wrote: “Lighting is a must to deter criminal behaviour”.

Sarah Cavalier said: “There is currently zero lighting in Landcox Park, Brighton East, at night. It’s pitch black.”

“Absolute disgrace. Can’t even walk our dogs safely after work,” she wrote.

Bayside Mayor Laurence Evans said the council had deliberately turned off lights in several parks at night because they “attracted young people”.

“Council works with Victoria Police on an ongoing basis, including responding to recent incidents involving large gatherings of young people in parks and open spaces,” he said.

“This includes installing security doors on public toilets and switching off lighting that has attracted young people at night.”

Cr Evans said the recent incidents “have illustrated the connection between safety on and offline”.

“Council encourages parents and young people to be aware that posting images on social media can identify a person’s whereabouts and that this has been a factor in the recent incidents,” he said.

He said CCTV was not used in open spaces in Bayside.

In a post on the Eyewatch – Glen Eira Bayside Police Service Area Facebook page, police issued a warning about Snapchat’s controversial Snap Maps feature, which broadcasts posters’ locations on a “heatmap”.

“Adding a photo to a location via Snap Maps means anyone from around the world can see your image and where it was uploaded,” the post said.

“We encourage parents to discuss turning off maps in Snapchat with your children and turning on Ghost Mode.”

Police confirmed they were investigating last month’s sexual assault but have not released descriptions of the alleged offenders.

“The investigation remains ongoing,” a Victoria Police spokeswoman said.

Any witnesses or anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au