Prosecutors to downgrade charge against teen who allegedly beat up old man

Prosecutors will downgrade a charge against a teenager who allegedly bashed 92-year-old Harvey Wade at the Fred’s Pass show in January, a court has heard.

The Supreme Court heard 92-year-old Harvey Wade suffered a broken nose in the attack. Picture: Glenn Campbell

• Boy who allegedly launched frenzied drug fuelled attack on elderly man denied bail

PROSECUTORS will downgrade a charge against a teenager who allegedly bashed 92-year-old Harvey Wade at the Freds Pass show in January, a court has heard.

The 16-year-old who cannot be named again faced the Youth Justice Court on Friday where his lawyer, Tashi Klose, said the prosecution had indicated it would replace a charge of causing serious harm with the lesser offence of reckless endangerment.

In refusing the boy bail in the Supreme Court last month, Chief Justice Michael Grant said the teenager had been drinking and taking drugs on January 30 when “without warning” he pulled open Mr Wade’s car door and started calling his daughter “a whoring slut”.

“Then also without warning, the (boy) punched the 92-year-old man who was sitting restrained in the passenger seat approximately six times to his body causing him severe pain and bruising,” he said.

Chief Justice Grant said after initially walking away, the boy then came back to the car and again allegedly attacked the defenceless Mr Wade, this time repeatedly punching him in the head and breaking his nose in several places.

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He returns to court on May 25.

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