Teen gang attack Dandenong, Frankston: Boy in court over shocking southeast crime spree
A 16-year-old who carried out a knifepoint robbery and left a man hospitalised in a road rage incident has been sprayed by a magistrate.
South East
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A lawless teen at the centre of a string of youth gang attacks across Melbourne’s southeast has been slammed in court.
The 16-year-old boy was taken to task by Magistrate Costas Kilias on Friday for his “disgraceful” crimes, including a knifepoint robbery in Dandenong North, a savage bashing in Hallam and a robbery in Frankston.
“This is pure thuggery … pure, sharklike violence,” Mr Kilias told the boy.
It comes after the teen ransacked a Dandenong North property with a co-accused about 3pm on January 16 before producing a knife to a youth who was waiting on the street with a number of others.
The offender and his co-accused demanded one youth hand over his shoes and phone before the 16-year-old yanked the phone from him and punched him on the nose.
The terrified victim ran to his family home and raised the alarm before police arrested the 16-year-old at a nearby bus stop as a number of others ran off.
A knife, cash and other items believed to be stolen were found in his pockets.
The court was told the boy was with a large group of youths when a co-accused began to assault another teen at Frankston pier on March 19 last year.
The menacing teens demanded their victims’ mobile phones, with the 16-year-old punching a youth in the face before snatching the item from his bag.
The group threatened to further assault the victim if he did not unlock the phone and also pinched two watches, the court heard.
The teen was arrested on March 30 with the stolen phone located in his pocket but he denied any involvement in the robbery and was bailed.
Mr Kilias heard the boy was also involved in an unprovoked attack in Hallam after a car he was a passenger in with his mother crashed into another car about 10.30pm on May 22 last year.
The boy got out of the car and punched the driver three times to the face, leaving him in hospital with a fractured nose and cheekbone.
The court heard the boy also caused close to $3000 worth of damage after smashing Greater Dandenong Council CCTV cameras with a fire extinguisher while in the company of eight youths.
The teen’s lawyer told the court her client had “time to reflect” during his first time in custody and pushed for him to be bailed after just six days behind bars.
“I think he should be taken away from the community … he’s a danger,” Mr Kilias said.
“It’s disgraceful … he is a menace, a danger to — absolutely unrelated to him— members of the community.”
The teen was remanded to return on February 26.
