‘Treated as animals’: Former Far North MP makes shock claims following ‘heinous’ alleged attack on Cairns couple

A councillor has questioned the effectiveness of the LNP’s Adult Time, Adult Crime policies, following a sickening home invasion and alleged rape that shocked the state. VOTE IN OUR POLL

Cairns Regional Council Division 5 councillor Rob Pyne attends an ordinary meeting at the council chambers. Picture: Brendan Radke

A Cairns councillor has questioned the effectiveness of the LNP’s Adult Time, Adult Crime policies, following a sickening home invasion and alleged rape that angered Queenslanders.

Cairns Regional Council met for its ordinary meeting on Wednesday with Division 2 councillor, Matthew Tickner, expressing his sorrow in relation to the violent incident that occurred in the early hours of last Friday morning.

Police allege three teenage boys broke into a couple’s Manunda home, dragged a woman from her bed, holding her partner at knife point, and committed the shocking crime in the next room.

A group of teenage boys have allegedly raped a woman while her partner was held at knife point in their Manunda home, after being woken by a break and enter at about 3.30am on Friday. Picture: Brendan Radke

The accused boys, two aged 15 and one aged 16, are each facing charges of rape, armed robbery, deprivation of liberty, enter dwelling and commit, and enter dwelling with intent by break at night while armed in company.

They have not entered any pleas.

Premier David Crisafulli has defended the LNP’s new youth crime laws. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Under the LNP’s Making Queensland Safer laws, the trio will face a possible maximum of life in jail with a 15-year non-parole period if the charges are proven.

Division 5 councillor Rob Pyne said he refused to back the changes.

“This current state government does not have my support on this issue, one iota,” he said.

“I was Member for Cairns from 2015 to 2017. The level of sexual abuse and violence against young people in west Cairns then was at a level that a report was issued – the ‘Smallbone Report’.”

Authored by Professor Stephen Smallbone and released in 2016, the report investigated incidences of sexual abuse and violence in three Cairns suburbs and the remote Indigenous community of Aurukun.

“It showed the rapes, the bashings,” Mr Pyne said. “It surprises people that having been treated as animals, these kids grow up to act like animals.

“If you think locking people up after the crime is the answer, you’re not going to fix this properly.”

The state government should look to other nations for guidance on how to stop youth crime.

“Countries that do the right thing and have really good social systems and infrastructure, like Norway and Sweden, they’ve hardly got any prisoners,” Mr Pyne said.

“Because they don’t get suspended. You suspend kids so that they can do what they want in the community. I’m glad I wasn’t suspended as a kid. I know the mischief I would’ve got up to.

“You need to have systems and funding to fix this problem. It’s not going to get fixed if you just kick it down the road.”

A failure to address the findings in the Smallbone Report had led to a surge in serious youth offences being committed in Cairns, Mr Pyne said.

“When they come out, they’re going to be angrier,” he said of young offenders.

“Let’s get in and stop these people from becoming criminals by reducing socioeconomic disadvantage in our society.”

A spokesman for the Youth Justice Minister Laura Gerber rejected Mr Pyne’s claims.

“The former Labor government unleashed a generation of hardcore repeat offenders through watered down laws and no rehabilitation,” he said.

“The Crisafulli government is up to the challenge of fixing Labor’s mess through the Making Queensland Safer laws which will restore consequence for actions, providing gold standard early intervention, effective rehabilitation and more police to communities safe.”

Cairns Regional Council’s Division Two councillor Matthew Tickner says community leaders must seek new ways to stop violent youth crime. Picture: Brendan Radke

The alleged incident had “shaken the community to its core”, Mr Tickner said.

“It would be remiss not to mention the heinous crime that took place last week in Cairns,” the first-term councillor said on Wednesday.

Deputy mayor Brett Olds says the community is still coming to terms with the alleged attack. Picture Emily Barker.

“I just wanted to assure the public that as leaders around the table we are most definitely having conversations with the people who can make changes in this space.”

Since the alleged attack, councillors had spoken with Premier David Crisafulli and others to find ways to stop similar crimes from occurring again.

“I know a number of us immediately reached out to the Premier and senior ministers … and to their credit, I think we all got substantial replies,” he said.

“We are doing everything we can as local councillors to advocate for change in this area.”

Deputy mayor Brett Olds said constituents had been deeply affected by the the alleged crime.

“The community has had its heart ripped out,” Mr Olds said.

Originally published as ‘Treated as animals’: Former Far North MP makes shock claims following ‘heinous’ alleged attack on Cairns couple