Teen thug ‘scalped’ female youth justice worker with guitar in Malmsbury
A teen thug unleashed at least 11 attacks before finally being banished from the juvenile justice system after he “scalped” a female officer in Malmsbury by smashing her over the head with a guitar. WARNING: Graphic images.
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An out-of-control teen thug unleashed at least 11 attacks on detainees and staff before finally being banished from the juvenile justice system.
The then 17-year-old brute was involved in a succession of serious assaults but was not transferred to an adult prison until he “scalped” a female officer by smashing her over the head with a guitar in an unprovoked onslaught.
The case had raised more questions about what is being done to protect workers and inmates from the state’s most dangerous youth criminals.
VICTORIAN YOUTH PRISON WORKERS UNDER ATTACK
YOUTH DETENTION RATES AT SIX-YEAR HIGH
VICTORIA’S YOUTH JUSTICE SYSTEM ‘IN CRISIS’: REPORT
There has been a staggering 30 assaults on workers by children and 115 on detainees in the first eight months of this year.
A youth detention worker who has come face-to-face with the wayward teen said more should have been done to protect staff and youth detainees.
“It is a disgrace. Do our lives not mean anything?” they said. “All the warnings were there. He had so much form.”
The teen, now 18, was last month jailed for two years and nine months after pleading guilty to a series of charges relating to 10 incidents; including intentionally cause serious injury, recklessly cause injury, assault and affray.
Nine involved incidents in custody at Malmsbury and Parkville youth detention centres from May last year to January.
Of those, three were attacks using an acoustic guitar available to detainees for therapeutic reasons. Two others he bashed inmates with vacuum cleaner poles.
The 10th incident was a shocking gang attack in the community where he repeatedly punched, kicked and stomped on his victim at a bus station in Sunshine in May 2016 — all while free on a youth supervision order for other crimes.
The Children’s Court heard he and his co-accused were wearing red as a symbol of their allegiance to the “62” street gang when they circled and attacked another group of youth.
That attack, like most behind bars, was captured on CCTV.
So serious was his latest assault on the female detention worker, police pushed for his case to be heard in the County Court where higher penalties apply.
A maximum sentence of only four years detention is available in the Children’s Court.
Despite his shocking rap sheet and showing no remorse, the hulking hoodlum was spared the matters being heard in the higher court because of what was described as his recent good behaviour in custody.
But the Herald Sun can reveal police are investigating his alleged bashing of an adult inmate in the maximum security Port Phillip Prison four days before he was sentenced.
He has been in solitary confinement since the alleged attack on October 15.
Concerned Malmsbury staff had made multiple reports to management about the boy’s increasingly abusive behaviour towards them in the four months before the January 24 guitar attack on the female officer.
She was knocked unconscious and rushed to hospital with a 12cm wound to her head so deep it exposed her skull in what has been described as one of the worst assaults in the juvenile justice system’s history.
The ambush came three weeks after the teen swung the guitar like a baseball bat at two male officers, hitting their arms, raised to protect themselves, at the same facility on January 2.
“There’s no support for the staff whatsoever,” one officer said, who wished not to be named for fear of losing their job.
“Despite all of the warning signs and complaints made, they did absolutely nothing.”
The troubled teen was transferred to Malmsbury in October last year following a series of attacks on detainees at Parkville.
After the January attacks on staff, the teen was sent to an adult prison.
“He’s just a f------ thug. They just couldn’t control him. He’s a big unit,” said one source.
The court heard the boy has snubbed his nose at prison rehabilitative programs, and shown no desire to engage in educational programs.
In a letter he wrote in the days after attacking the female officer to explain his actions, he showed no remorse, pushing blame on his victim and saying she was “racist”.
But his lawyer said time had passed and the teen was now sorry for what he did.
“His progress in custody has been genuinely positive,” the defence lawyer said.
The teen has received notification, his lawyer said, that he would be deported to New Zealand on completion of his sentence.
And he does not plan on fighting that, his lawyer said.
The youth is a familiar face in the court dock, with an extensive criminal history including armed robbery, criminal damage, burglary and theft.
In November, he was sentenced over two other assaults on detainees, throwing a thong at one, and striking another three times to the head with a clenched fist.
A Department of Justice and Regulation spokeswoman said it had a “zero-tolerance” approach to violence in youth justice facilities.
“All incidents or allegations of violence or assault by young people or staff must be reported and are referred to police for investigation,” she said.
ONE OF THE SYSTEM’S WORST ASSAULTS EVER
A female youth justice worker sits playing cards with a detainee unaware of the bloodshed about to unfold.
Behind her, another inmate is lurking.
CCTV captures him watching her in the courtyard for some 20 seconds before he takes a firm grip with both hands on the neck of an acoustic guitar and raises it over his right shoulder.
The 17-year-old brute glances towards his posse of inmate followers staring through the window in a nod to make sure they are watching.
What happens next has been deemed one of the worst assaults in Victoria’s juvenile justice system history.
It’s 7.54pm inside Malmsbury Youth Justice Precinct on January 24 this year, and the teen swings the instrument with full force at her head.
His swoop causes him to stumble and fall off-balance, the neck of the guitar snaps off. A dent can be seen in the instrument’s body.
But for the victim it is much worse.
The right hand side of her head took the full brunt of the impact.
“She was completely defenceless and had no opportunity to defend herself as she was not aware the accused was even there,” a police summary read.
In a daze, she slumps in her chair.
Then she collapses unconscious, falling to the ground. The young male she was teaching the UNO card game jumps from his seat to catch and brace her fall.
As staff run to her side to help, her attacker stands and stares, with the guitar still in his hand, as she lay on the ground with blood pouring from her head.
A 12cm laceration “de-gloves” her scalp, exposing her skull.
First responders fear the worse.
Paramedics rush her to hospital where she undergoes emergency surgery.
Meanwhile, detectives probe the cause of such a vicious unprovoked onslaught.
The victim had earlier baked pastries at the detention centre for the detainees, and was ignored by the boy when she tried to offer him one.
When another officer asked if he could give one to the boy, she agreed only if the teen used his manners and said please and thank you.
The youth then hurled abuse at her, saying “f--- you, you f----- bitch!”
He then sat with other inmates and spoke about “getting her”.
It was these same inmates he was seen celebrating with in the moments after the attack. Who shockingly, shook his hand and high-fived him.
Meanwhile, as the attack unfolded, a group of other inmates playing basketball nearby froze on the court. In shock, or possibly, out of fear they could be next.
TEEN THUG’S ATTACKS IN CUSTODY
Parkville Youth Justice Centre — 2017
■ May — struck a detainee three times to the head with a clenched fist in vicious attack.
■ May 20 — unlawfully fought and made an affray with other detainees.
■ July 22 — assaulted another detainee with a vacuum cleaner pole.
■ August 5 — recklessly caused injury in an attack on an inmate.
■ August 10 — assaulted a fellow detainee with a guitar.
■ August 12 — assaulted another detainee.
■ August 18 — assault in company on another locked-up youth.
■ September 7 — assaulted a detainee with a weapon, namely a vacuum cleaner pole.
■ November — convicted of another assault where he threw a thong at an inmate.
■ October — Moved to Malmsbury Youth Justice Precinct
Malmsbury Youth Justice Precinct — 2018
■ January 2 — attacked two guards with an acoustic guitar after refusing to go back to his room
■ January 24 — scalped a female guard when cracking a guitar over her head from behind in an unprovoked attack.
Port Phillip Prison — 2018
■ October 15 — taken into solitary confinement following an alleged assault on another adult inmate. Police investigating. No charges yet.