Joel De Vries: Man bailed after allegedly punching 15-year-old near Woolworths Hastings
A father of four allegedly hunted down a 15-year-old boy in Hastings who previously had a fight with one of his sons.
South East
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A man accused of jumping out of a car, grabbing a 15-year-old by the throat and punching him in a laneway near a Hastings supermarket has been bailed.
Joel De Vries, 36, appeared at the Frankston Magistrates’ Court by video link from custody on Thursday, following the alleged incident on August 2 at 7.25pm.
Mr De Vries, a father of four, allegedly approached the teen about 7.20pm in a laneway near Hastings’ Woolworths supermarket.
The court heard Mr De Vries allegedly grabbed the boy by his throat, allegedly punched him and asked “Do you know who my son is?”
The boy responded with the son’s name before Mr De Vries allegedly said “If this ever happens again, I will knock your teeth out”, before returning to the car.
Informant Constable Kip Mulvogue, of Hastings Police, told the court the alleged victim had previously had an altercation with one of Mr De Vries’ sons.
Constable Mulvogue said Mr De Vries was later arrested on September 25 after officers spotted him while patrolling on the Westernport Highway in Tyabb.
He told the court Mr De Vries appeared drug affected and was allegedly in the middle of the road, trying to get in the way of other cars.
Mr De Vries was remanded over the supermarket incident and another alleged incident on September 12, where he allegedly damaged a car in Knox Ct, Hastings.
Magistrate Gerard Lethbridge said Mr De Vries had an “erratic and probably irrational nature of offending to date”, and the alleged attack on the 15-year-old was “unquestionably a very serious matter”.
Mr Lethbridge said Mr De Vries was likely to be sentenced to prison time if he was found guilty and convicted.
He granted Mr De Vries bail due to “harsh and oppressive conditions” in custody due to Covid-19 and as he could stay with his father in Blind Bight.
But Mr Lethbridge warned Mr De Vries he was “on an absolute razor’s edge in terms of your liberty for months”.
“You’ve been in custody for a while now, that’s just a taste of what’s coming if you breach your bail in any way or any orders made by this court,” Mr Lethbridge said.
Mr De Vries will appear at the court again on October 29.
