Half the alleged youth criminals bailed to Saltbush bail support facility absconded in past three months, NT Supreme Court told

NEARLY half of the alleged youth criminals bailed to Saltbush bail support facility absconded in the past three months, a senior youth justice bureaucrat has told the NT Supreme Court

Nearlty half the alleged youth criminals bailed to Saltbush bail support facility absconded in the past three months, a court has heard

NEARLY half of the alleged youth criminals bailed to Saltbush bail support facility absconded in the past three months, a senior youth justice bureaucrat has told the NT Supreme Court.

Territory Families youth justice general manager Brent Warren said 40 per cent of bailees at the centre went AWOL in the three months between July and September.

Mr Warren said the “most serious” was an alleged offender who was “able to take a leave of absence”, returned drunk and was turned away by staff at the facility.

It took police a week to track the teenager down.

Another – a serial property offender – was arrested in a stolen car while a third was arrested after 10 days on the run.

Mr Warren told the NT Supreme Court on Thursday that staff at the facility “certainly” could have let the alleged rapist back to the centre rather than turning him away, and could have had him arrested on the spot for breaching his bail by drinking.

The details emerged during a bail review for a teen facing serious sex offence charges, who was at Don Dale during the most recent riot and fire at the centre, but who handed himself over to authorities shortly after the disturbance began.

The teen’s lawyers argued his special needs were not being properly catered for at Don Dale, where programs had been scaled down over recent weeks amid an uptick in staff calling in sick.

Mr Warren said Territory Families had an expectation Saltbush would not let this teenager wander off as it did with the last alleged rapist to abscond.

He said an electronic monitoring bracelet would let Territory Families and police know within minutes if the teen had left the facility or cut the bracelet off.

Crown Prosecutor John Ibbotson unsuccessfully opposed bail, arguing the teen had allegedly reoffended while on bail with a “fairly lax” family member.

“Saltbush is not a secure facility,” he said.

Justice Southwood granted bail on strict conditions, saying the “overwhelming evidence” was that the teen could be safely managed at Saltbush.

The teen was due to leave Don Dale this morning.