Girl denied bail after Territory Families’ long history of failure to keep her out of harm’s way

A teenage girl who ran over a former MLA last year has been denied bail following a litany of failures by Territory Families to keep her safe and out of trouble.

• Girl who ran over former MLA also pleads guilty to endangering the life of a police officer
• Ex-pollie’s painful road to recovery made easier by RDH

A TEENAGE girl who ran over former Member for Wanguri John Bailey last year has been denied bail following a litany of failures by Territory Families to keep her safe and out of trouble.

The girl, who cannot be named, applied for bail in the Supreme Court on Thursday after pleading guilty earlier this month to causing serious harm to Mr Bailey by almost severing his hand.

In refusing bail, Chief Justice Michael Grant said the girl had “a very complex medical, psychological and sociological profile” and a “long history of neglect and sexual abuse” as a child.

MORE COURT NEWS

Nhlulunbuy doctor ‘is pleading guilty’ to drugs, firearms offences, court hears

Lawyers for Territory cop charged with rape to cross-examine witnesses

Teen guilty of killing ‘close friend’ has sentencing adjourned awaiting psychiatric report

He said that background led to her being taken into the care of Territory Families in 2018 and “an appalling history” of offending, breaches of bail and general noncompliance would follow.

“At the time the (most recent) offence was committed, the applicant was notionally under the care of Territory Families — the same organisation that now purports to be able to meet the needs of community protection in the event that bail is granted,” he said.

Shortly after being taken into care, Chief Justice Grant said the girl began repeatedly absconding and engaging in property offending before committing a series of break-ins and stealing a car and driving to Katherine.

John Bailey nearly lost his hand in the incident in Rapid Creek last year. Picture: Che Chorley

She was granted bail for those offences but again “almost immediately” left her Territory Families care placement and was arrested after returning to her home community where she was “considered to be at demonstrated risk of predation”.

Chief Justice Grant said the girl would go on to be released into Territory Families care or on its advice another four times and her absconding and offending continued, including by crashing a stolen car into a tree.

He said the girl’s whereabouts would remain “entirely unknown” for a period of about two months, during which time “it appears she was the subject of an attempted predation by a 66-year-old male”.

“The applicant was (subsequently) involved in a number of child welfare reports, youth disturbances, incidents of self harm, public intoxication and further offending,” he said.

“She was frequently absent from her care placement in circumstances where her whereabouts were unknown.

“That three months of neglect and unregulated behaviour and continual and continuing breaches of bail culminated in the commission of the very serious offences with the catastrophic consequences which are now before this court.

“As I’ve said, throughout this period she was notionally under the care of Territory Families.”

The girl returns to court for sentencing in June.

Follow @jas_walls