Diversion request for teen charged with vandalising Josh Burns’ electorate office

The boy’s attack on the electorate office allegedly left taxpayers with a $55,000 bill.

Lawyers for a 17-year-old boy who allegedly caused $55,000 in damage to Jewish MP Josh Burns’s electorate office in Melbourne have asked for diversion to be considered for their underage client, a court has been told.

The teen, who cannot be named for legal reasons, faced the Children’s Court on Thursday morning after he was accused of trespassing into the federal Labor MP’s office with intent to cause damage in a vandalism attack on July 19.

Police also charged the boy and an 18-year-old woman, a relative of the accused, over the July 17 attack on the Honorary Consulate General of France.

The attack on Mr Burns’ St Kilda office saw the shopfront spray painted with slogans including “Zionism is fascism”.

Small fires then occurred in telecommunication pits at the front of the Barkly St building, Victoria Police said at the time.

During Thursday’s court proceedings, Magistrate Charlie Rozencwajg sought to clarify the nature of the alleged vandalism spree.

“Is it political?” Mr Rozencwajg questioned the prosecutor.

“The graffiti on the French Consulate ... I think the word tag used ‘kanaka’, a reference to New Caledonia,” he responded, indicating the attacks were political.

“At Josh Burns’ office, he tried to burn an Israeli flag in front of it ... used a sledgehammer to knock out holes in the glass frontage.”

Lawyers for both sides had access to the CCTV footage of the incident. Picture: David Crosling

The court heard that The court heard that lawyers for both sides had access to the CCTV footage of the incident.

“Defence is asking to consider diversion,” the prosecutor said.

Diversion provides an alternative to sentencing and allows for first-time and low-level offenders to avoid a criminal record by undertaking conditions.

The matter was adjourned to October 3, with the boy’s bail also extended to that date.

The 18-year-old woman, who is also on bail, is due to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on October 11.

Following the arrests in July, Mr Burns issued a statement where he shared his St Kilda office had reopened after extensive repairs

Federal Labor MP Josh Burns. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“While it has been a distressing period for my team and I, we are all keen to move on and continue our work serving the wonderful people of Macnamara,” the Labor MP wrote.

“I am aware of the age of those who are charged and I wish to make this broad comment. The decisions people make as young people don’t have to define the rest of their lives.”

Since October 7, vandals have taken to electorate offices to smash the windows of shopfronts and spray red paint, often to spell out anti-Semitic slogans.

The electorate offices of Anthony Albanese, Peter Khalil, Richard Marles, Mark Dreyfus, have been among the targets for vandals promoting the pro-Palestine cause.