Teen thugs accused of bashing, robbing Australian Open tourists
THE daughter of a highly acclaimed US doctor who was viciously bashed by a gang of youths alongside his teenage son after leaving the Australian Open says her family are in shock.
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THE daughter of a highly acclaimed US doctor who was viciously bashed by a gang of youths alongside his teenage son after leaving the Australian Open says her family are in shock.
Physician Edmund Pribitkin, 52, was put in an induced coma with serious head injuries and his son Edik, 17, concussed with a broken nose after the violent alleged robbery at the Queen Victoria Gardens about 11.30pm on Wednesday.
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Daughter Tesa Pribitkin said it was “horrible” to know her family had been badly brutalised so far from home.
“They didn’t seem to want their possessions or anything because my brother and dad offered them but they sort of just kept hitting them repeatedly,” she told Nine News.
“It’s horrible because I think this is going to be something that we will affiliate with the Australian Open for a while.”
Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley said the sports body were offering support to the victims and their families based locally and in the United States.
“Our thoughts are with the family at this difficulty time. We are in close communication and will provide support wherever possible throughout the ordeal,” Mr Tiley said in a statement.
A gang of youths roaming the city faced court accused of bashing the tourists.
The H erald Sun understands police from Melbourne’s Embona Taskforce will allege the youths — one of them on bail — confronted Dr Pribitkin and his son, attacking the pair as they made their way through the gardens.
The doctor was kicked and robbed, leaving him with serious head injuries.
Charges relating to the incident say one of the youths intentionally caused serious injury to the victim in circumstances of “gross violence’’ in that at the time of the assault the victim was “incapacitated’’.
Later that night the same group allegedly set upon and robbed three German tourists in Melbourne for the Open, believed to be aged in their 20s.
Police then swooped on the five alleged thugs after the second attack in Birrarung Marr.
Three of the alleged principal offenders were remanded in custody yesterday while other youths were released by police.
None of three 17-year-olds who appeared before a Children’s Court yesterday applied for bail and were remanded in custody.
Two 16-year-old girls were charged in relation to the second incident involving the Germans.
A lawyer for one of the accused boys told the court her client did not want to be brought up to the courtroom and requested an adjournment to apply for bail today.
Magistrate Jane Gibson granted the adjournment after also being told one of the alleged offenders — charged with stealing and dishonestly handling an iPhone 5 valued at $400 — had not been in custody before but smoked cigarettes and may go through some withdrawal while detained.
The 17-year-old was, however, refused bail after appearing in the Children’s Court in an attempt to be freed.
His mother sat in the front row as details of her son’s alleged involvement were read out.
His lawyer argued the teen had played a lesser role in the assaults.
But Magistrate Jane Gibson said the teen was an unacceptable risk and kept him locked up.
She said he had a history of breaching his bail conditions and was on probation at the time of the latest alleged offending.
No bail conditions, including a curfew, would satisfy her he wouldn’t reoffend, she said.
The other two, charged with more serious violence offences as well as counts of robbery, were remanded in custody to appear before a Children’s Court on February 8.
One of the teens was charged with committing an indictable offence of affray while on bail.
He also faces 11 more charges including counts of using unlawful violence, intentionally causing injury and robbery and theft of an iPhone and a MVMT wristwatch valued at $550.
He was also charged with assault in company with others.
A third youth, believed to have kicked the visiting US doctor while incapacitated, faced similar charges.
Family members faced the accused in the court.