Boy accused of St Kilda machete attack was on four counts of bail

A 15-year-old boy charged over a terrifying machete attack in St Kilda was on four counts of bail for violent carjackings, assaults, and weapon offences, a court has heard.

A teenager charged over an alleged carjacking in St Kilda was on four sets of bail. Picture: 9News

A 15-year-old boy accused of a terrifying machete attack in St Kilda was on four counts of bail for violent carjackings, assaults, and weapon offences, a court has heard.

The wayward teen is accused of slashing his victim over the head with a machete after he refused to hand over his car keys in an armed robbery in St Kilda on January 12.

A children’s court heard on Wednesday the boy was in breach of all of his bail conditions, including a curfew, a ban on driving and not to attend Melbourne, at the time of the assault.

In opposing the youth’s release back into the community, a detective told the court of the boy’s escalating criminal ways throughout last year, and how he had notoriety among his peers.

“(He) is quite well known within the youth crime community,” the officer said.

“People want to say they are (his) friend. They want to latch on to his offending and be a part of it.”

In April, the boy allegedly committed robberies and thefts at Chadstone Shopping Centre with up to eight other males.

Police also allege he was involved in another machete attack, a series of assaults, as well as a carjacking where threats were made to stab the victim.

A nurse who had just finished a night shift was also put in a headlock and demanded to hand over his keys in another attempted carjacking.

The teen was on four counts of bail at the time of the alleged attack. Picture: 9News

The court heard how the teen thug would boast about his offending online, sending SnapChats to friends depicting him driving stolen cars on the wrong side of the road and at speeds of up to 180km/h.

He is also facing a possession of a prohibited weapon charge after he allegedly took a 40cm hunting knife to school, telling staff he “needed it for protection”.

The detective said the victim of his latest offending was lucky to have not been killed.

He said machetes are designed for harvesting and when used to strike at someone’s skull was an “extreme risk of causing death”.

“(He) acted in a vicious and callous way,” the officer said.

“And his offending is showing no signs of slowing down.

“He will continue to put the innocent lives of the public at risk to get what he wants.”

The court heard the teen had shunned all support his mother had offered to the point she no longer welcomes him back into the family home.

A female accomplice who police wanted to speak with after she was seen with him during the St Kilda attack has since handed herself in.

She was exonerated from any offending and released.

But she has been accused of being his co-offender in other offending last year, and was named in his previous bail conditions as someone he was not to associate with.

Children’s Court president Jack Vandersteen described the St Kilda attack as a “serious example of an armed robbery”.

The boy seemed to only stop the attack when he noticed passers-by were filming him.

The victim had to remove his shirt and use it to stem the bleeding from his head.

The court heard the boy has autism and a language disorder, with an IQ of only 62.

The bail application will continue next month.