Parkville and Malmsbury youth justice staff don’t want dangerous teen

Staff at two Victorian youth justice centres are refusing to accept a teenager with a brutal catalogue of violence, including “scalping” a guard and attacking other teens.

An ambulance at the Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre. One of the teen’s victims still works at Malmsbury. Picture: Rob Leeson.

A battle is looming over a court decision to shift a dangerous teenager back to a youth jail.

The Herald Sun has been told juvenile justice workers have refused to accept the youth back into the system after a brutal catalogue of violence.

Staff at both Parkville and Malmsbury youth justice centres have made it clear to the Department of Justice they are not willing to look after him.

In one horrifying onslaught, the teenager “scalped” a female officer by smashing her over the head with a guitar at Malmsbury.

He has been responsible for at least 10 attacks on workers and fellow detainees in the centres.

Authorities finally moved the unpredictable 18-year-old out last year and into the adult prison system.

He was then responsible for more violence in a maximum security jail.

A court yesterday ruled he should be transferred back to the juvenile justice system.

It is believed he was at Parkville on Wednesday night but high-level talks were taking place to decide how he would be housed in a manner which would keep staff safe.

A County Court application by the youth to leave adult prison and go back to Parkville or Malmsbury in April was rejected.

He exploded in rage during that hearing, abusing one of his victims when she turned up for the hearing.

The Parkville complex houses children as young as 10 and one of his victims still works at Malmsbury.

Staff at two Youth Justice Centres including Parkville are not willing to look after the unpredictable 18-year-old.

The youth will be deported back to New Zealand at the end of his sentence.

A hearing of his application is understood to have been held at the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

The Herald Sun contacted the Supreme Court for comment but it did not have any information about the matter.

The youth is serving a 26-month jail term over 10 violent assaults — nine while in youth detention — including the brutal attack where the female officer was “scalped”.

He last year pleaded guilty in the Children’s Court to a series of charges relating to the 10 incidents, including intentionally cause serious injury, recklessly cause injury, assault and affray.

MORE NEWS: FATHER OF TRAIN BROTHERS CHARGED OVER VILE ABUSE

DESPERATE BID TO FIGHT NORTH EAST LINK

HOW TEAMMATE SPARKED STEPHENSON CONFESSION

Nine involved incidents in custody at Malmsbury and Parkville youth detention centres from May 2017 to the guitar attack on the female officer on January 24 last year.

The detainee used an acoustic guitar as his weapon in three of the attacks. Two others involved bashing fellow inmates with vacuum cleaner poles.

He was removed from youth detention following the attacks and, at his request, transferred to an adult prison where his brother was jailed.

A State Government spokesman said he could not comment on the matter.

“Our youth justice system manages a range of young people with complex behaviours – that’s why we have invested heavily in improving safety and security across the system,” he said.