Community walk planned in response to alleged violent assault against woman on Bonner running track
Bonner residents are rallying around a 59-year-old woman who was allegedly choked until she lost consciousness on a popular Canberra running trail, after a 15-year-old boy has been charged.
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Bonner residents are rallying around a woman who was allegedly choked until she lost consciousness on a popular Canberra running trail, after a 15-year-old boy has been charged.
Police will allege the unprovoked attack happened at 10.15am on Monday as the woman, 59, was jogging down Oak Hill on the Centenary Trail.
The teenage boy grabbed the woman from behind and began choking her, rendering her unconscious, it will be alleged.
When she regained consciousness and attempted to flee, the boy allegedly struck her in the head before stealing her phone and fleeing the scene.
The woman managed to run until she encountered another passer-by, who called emergency services.
Police arrested the boy shortly afterwards.
He has since been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, choking with intent to render a person insensible, robbery, and an act of indecency without consent.
He was taken for a mental health assessment and appeared before the ACT Children’s Court on Wednesday, 28 May, where he will be remanded in custody until June 23.
The case has sparked a swell of community support for the alleged victim and for the woman who helped her, with many expressing frustration at a justice system they feel has failed to protect the public from violent reoffenders.
In response, a community walk has been organised for Monday at 10am, beginning at the Mulligans Flat Rd car park in Forde — close to the site of the alleged attack.
Organisers are calling on the Canberra public to “walk for them” – the alleged victim, the woman who helped, and the emergency personnel who see “the worst of humanity every day”.
“Because enough is enough,” the organiser wrote in a public statement.
“All people, not just women, have the right to feel safe in our community. While we may not have the answers, it is clear that the system we have now isn’t working.”
The statement was posted to a Canberra community Facebook group and has notched up hundreds of shares and comments.
Some commenters have called for tougher sentencing for youth crimes in the ACT, with multiple people demanding “adult crime, adult time”.
Another user wrote: “How sad is it that women aren’t safe to exercise on their own.”
Participants on Monday have been asked to wear pink, the alleged victim’s favourite colour, in a show of solidarity.
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Originally published as Community walk planned in response to alleged violent assault against woman on Bonner running track
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