Slap thugs who target vulnerable seniors with harsh on the spot fines to deter reoffending

LOW life thugs who target the elderly should be hit with on the spot fines before they’re dealt with in the courts

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LOW life thugs who target the elderly should be hit with on the spot fines before they’re dealt with in the courts.

The Northern Territory needs to make it a decent fine so these perpetrators have to sell their pushie, even their kidney, to cover the cost.

Last month, this newspaper reported on the callous, heartless theft of a 79-year-old man who was simply enjoying a coffee outside a Todd Mall café.

The man, who was left shaken with abrasions to his arms and legs, was allegedly targeted by a group of youths outside Wicked Kneads.

Two youths were subsequently arrested.

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Kate Freestone, who owns the café, said the group of up to 10 kids aged 12 to 14 tried to steal a packet of cigarettes from the table where the man was sitting.

“He put his hand out to grab his cigarettes and then they’ve knocked him out of the chair and scratched his face,” Ms Freestone said.

“I gave chase and yelled out. The police were there immediately.”

The day before, an 87-year-old woman was left shaken after young thieves allegedly struck her down and stole her handbag in the Yeperenye Shopping Centre.

The disgusting incidents led Council on the Ageing NT chief executive Sue Shearer to advise Alice Springs residents to go out in pairs, at least.

She went on to say that many seniors living in Alice Springs no longer felt safe due to crime and some were now contemplating whether they should leave Alice Springs for their safety.

“We find the situation terrible and are advising seniors to go out in pairs,” Ms Shearer said.

“These perpetrators out there have absolutely no respect for the vulnerable citizens in our community.

“Sadly, they see elderly people as easy pickings that don’t have the strength to fight back or run away. Unfortunately, this is their twisted mindset.”

“Twisted mindset” is the mild way to describe it.

The seniors around us have, in many cases, helped shaped the communities we live in.

They’ve volunteered, headed up organisations, been on school P & C’s, sat on councils and established popular events we still enjoy today.

There should be serious, on the spot consequences for this behavior.

Just last year the Northern Territory introduced $5495 on the spot fines for anyone who spits on a worker in the NT to induce fear around coronavirus.

The fine is designed to protect workers, including cops, paramedics, nurses and doctors, shelf stackers or those working in a cafe.

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The fact the Territory has got to the point where it has to tell our elderly to travel in pairs to keep safe is more than just a crime issue.

It’s heartbreaking when anyone becomes a victim of crime but when it’s a member of our seniors community, heartbreak turns to anger.

The long-lasting effect on an elderly victim of crime is devastating.

Losing independence because of age and ill-health is easier to come to terms with than it being at the hands of a disrespectful crim.

The NT’s victim conferencing is a valuable initiative to show, particularly youth offenders, the affect their illegal actions have on indivuduals and families.

But putting an elderly victim in front of their offender will just spark more fear.

There needs to be more immediate consequences that make these people think twice about targeting senior members of our community.

What happened to ‘respect your elders’? It seems to have been replaced with ‘steal their smokes and knock them down’.

Denise Cahill is the Head of News at the NT News

Follow @DeniseCahill18