Woman tells of violent ordeal as Victorian crime statistics are released

THIS photo is the latest reminder of the crime wave that has Melbourne being dubbed “Gotham City”. WARNING: Graphic images

Joanna Christodoulou had her face cut when a man smashed her car window. Picture: Facebook

WARNING: Graphic images

A WOMAN who was the victim of a brutal and violent attack in Melbourne says she is disgusted by “how low people have become”.

Joanna Christodoulou was driving around Bentleigh East in Melbourne’s southeast with her brother about 2.30am on Sunday when she found herself in a living nightmare.

She noticed she was being followed by a black car with tinted windows and she turned to look at who it was when she stopped at a red light on the intersection at North and Warrigal roads.

“As I turned my head the car was very close to mine and the suspected male with black hair holding a weapon (hammer/crowbar) decided to smash the drivers (sic) window which caused the window to explode,” she wrote of the ordeal on Facebook.

“I suffered a cut to the head and 4 abrasions in my right eye due to the glass. I have blurry vision and traumatic stress.

“The reason for posting this is the make sure everyone is aware of the dangers these people are capable of inflicting. It disgusts me to know how low people have become.”

Joanna Christodoulou was injured by a man on Saturday. Picture: Facebook

Joanna Christodoulou shared her ordeal on Facebook. Picture: Facebook

Ms Christodoulou’s horrific story coincides with the release of Victoria’s latest crime rates by the Crime Statistics Agency, which reveal the state’s crime has increased by almost 15 per cent in the past year.

Between June 2015-16, there were 535,826 recorded crimes across Victoria, up from 472,611 in the previous 12 months.

There were almost 82,000 people who committed crimes between June 2015-16 and half of them were aged between 15 and 35.

Deputy Commissioner Andrew Crisp said Victoria Police was tackling youth crime and believed a youth summit held earlier this year would help deter young people from crime.

He said there were many young people dealing with complex issues or who felt locked out of society.

Mr Crisp said drugs were a major driver for crime and ice was still a rampant problem.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said Victoria was suffering from a “crime tsunami”, with more murders in the state than NSW and Queensland.

In the past year there has been a small drop in the number of offenders under 25 but young people have been involved in more incidents on average compared to the rest of the offending population.

Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Andrew Crisp says family violence is still driving a lot of Victoria’s crime. Picture: Eugene Hyland.

The opposition’s families and children spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said in a statement Premier Daniel Andrews was “turning Melbourne into Gotham City”.

“Violent young offenders do not fear the police, the courts and certainly not Daniel Andrews and his ministers,” she said.

Ms Crozier said youth detention centres in the state had become a “recruiting and breeding ground” for youth gangs.

“We are seeing alarming rates of reoffending in youth crime and an under-resourced police force to deal with the problem,” she said.

“Our courts have become a revolving door for violent criminals and it’s time for Daniel Andrews to slam it shut.”

The crime statistics have also seen a rise in family violence, with 8852 incidents per 100,000 people.

“Family violence is still driving a lot of the state’s crime,” Mr Crisp said.

“For the first time we’ve seen family violence assaults outstrip non-family violence assaults.”

There were 78,012 family-related incidents recorded in 2015-16, 10 per cent more than last year.

Mr Crisp said that was likely due to increased reporting “which should be seen as a very positive thing”.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters on Thursday the government remained committed to making sure the police commissioner had the resources he needed and hit back at comments from the opposition.

“I’m not here to respond to ridiculous claims made by the opposition,” he said.

“This is not about those sorts of silly games, this is a very serious business, and cheap one-liners, well, I’ll leave that to others.

“We are determined and will continue to provide strong support to Victoria Police and the powers that they need as well.”