Communities ‘living in fear’ with escalating youth crime claiming two lives in seven days

Just days after a Kingswood pizza shop owner was stabbed to death by a gang of youths, business owners in neighbouring stores say coming to work has become a daunting task.

Communities from the city to the bush are “living in fear” after the escalating behaviour of young crims allegedly lead to the deaths of two innocent people in just seven days.

Locals from Tamworth to Sydney’s west say the youth crime crisis is “at its worst ever”, and are pushing for serious change to stop the kids responsible.

Just days after Kingswood pizza shop owner Sonmez Alagoz was allegedly stabbed to death by a gang of youths following an alleged dispute over a can of coke, business owners in neighbouring stores said coming to work had become a daunting task.

Flowers left outside the pizza shop after the owner was stabbed to death in Kingswood following an alleged dispute over a can of coke. Picture: Ted Lamb.

Florist Joh Dickens has worked in the area for 37 years and refuses to stay in her store after dark.

“We used to work all night and have people come in and say hi. Not anymore. As soon as the dark comes, we go,” Ms Dickens said.

While Ms Dickens hasn’t had anyone break into her shop for a while, her windows are constantly smashed by young troublemakers.

“We have had the glass broken a number of times and now I have left it broken so that there is no reason for them to come along and break it again,” Ms Dickens said.

Florist Joh Dickens, at her store in Kingswood, said she does not go outside after dark. Picture: Ted Lamb.

Down the street, 27-year-old newsagent worker Dunjan Pattal said she was in constant fear violent kids would attack her on the job.

“I feel unsafe always … if they come in and I don’t have something to give, they might do something to me,” Ms Pattal said.

“It’s scary. I don’t want to work anymore here.”

Last week, Narrabri man Daniel McNamara was killed after being hit by a stolen ute allegedly driven by a 14-year-old Moree boy and two other passengers of the same age.

His death was met with immediate calls for the strengthening of bail laws, after it was revealed one of the boys involved had a 38-page criminal record and more than 90 breaches of bail.

Motorbike rider Daniel McNamara, 46, was killed by teens in a stolen ute near Gunnedah. Picture: Supplied

Tamworth resident Phebe Furneaux launched a petition with the NSW Government this week, calling for harsher penalties and tougher bail tests for young kids, saying her town was “under attack” by violent young thugs who were consistently stealing cars, breaking into homes and bashing residents – herself included.

In December she was beaten by a group of young men who tried to steal her car in the middle of the night.

“I’m working my butt off, and all my possessions are from my hard work, so I grabbed one of the boys as he tried to get in, and he hit me in face and jaw and the other started laying into me with a bat,” she said.

“I was bruised all over. You want to say it’s uncommon but this is happening almost every night.

“These kids are running around with machetes, breaking into homes, stealing cars, going for joy rides.

“It’s the worst it’s ever been and it’s got to stop”.

She was informed one of the boys allegedly involved in her attack was on bail and had 40 prior offences on his record.

“There’s a real problem with the system,” she said.

Injuries sustained by Tamworth mother Phebe Furneaux during a home invasion in late 2024. Picture: Supplied.

Phebe Furneaux was beaten by young men who tried to steal her car.

“How these magistrates keep letting these kids out, it’s just mind boggling.”

On Friday, Premier Chris Minns visited Moree, where he acknowledged the current bail systems were failing.

“I would love to come to town and say its mission accomplished when it comes to regional crime, but the truth of the matter is that’s not the case,” he said.

“We have not made the inroads we hoped to have made when it comes to persistent reoffending from some people in the community.

“Undeniably it’s creating fear in town and we need to act.”

The Minns government amended the bail act in March last year in response to a growing epidemic of regional youth crime, introducing an additional test for young offenders to get bail. The changes, which were only put into effect for 12 months, were on Friday extended until April 2028.

Under the changes made last year to 22C of the Bail Act, magistrates need to have a “high degree of confidence” the youth will not reoffend in order to grant bail.

Since the law’s inception in April to September last year, 123 youths have been charged under 22C with only 97 of those refused bail. Despite the laws, magistrates are still consistently releasing repeat offenders on bail.

Statistics from NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research reveal 9104 children fronted courts across the state in 2023, with 4319 granted bail – the highest number in the last decade.

The data confirmed 2324 children breached their conditions while on bail, before 1931 and were then once again allowed to roam free in the community with charges hanging over their heads.

One former officer from the Tamworth region said there was “almost no point” locking child thugs up anymore, with courts not doing enough to keep them behind bars, or issue tough penalties.

“It’s the same handful of kids doing the same thing,” they said.

“If they lock these kids up, and stop giving them bloody bail, the community won’t keep having these issues.

“We won’t have to keep chasing these kids around, putting our safety at risk too.”

Originally published as Communities ‘living in fear’ with escalating youth crime claiming two lives in seven days