Editorial: Accused teens laughing in the face of justice

The very public defiance shown by alleged teen criminals marks a new and deeply disturbing mentality, writes the editor.

The impact of Queensland’s ongoing juvenile crime crisis is eloquently expressed in the face of Angelo Justus, one of hundreds of victims of this horrifying trend which shows no signs of abating.

Mr Justus was about to take some second-hand clothes to a charity last Sunday when he was approached by two balaclava-clad figures as he tried to back his Audi out of his Bulimba driveway.

The two figures, holding an axe and a shovel, menaced him while another car blocked his passage to the street and utter strangers screamed profanities at him and demanded his keys.

Three days after this horrific confrontation this decent, law-abiding Queenslander has watched on as a 17-year-old charged in relation to the offence mocks police on social media.

The boy, who denies any involvement in the crime, was charged with a range of offences and appeared in the Brisbane Children’s Court on Wednesday.

He was released on bail despite police opposition.

Free to do as he pleases for the moment, the child opted to post on social media: “F...k Queensland Police Service.’’

He then added: “DW (Don’t worry) guys daddy is just being harassed for nothing, no evidence, no CCTV, nothing (sic).’’

There are numerous examples of Queensland youths posting footage of their alleged crimes on social media and taunting police.

Angelo Justus outside his home. Picture: Steve Pohlner

But this display of aggressive contempt for law enforcement by a juvenile insisting on his innocence (as he has every right to do) appears almost emblematic of a strange new world view.

There is utterly no respect for authority in that post, and no regard for the emotional state of a man who had been clearly subject to a deeply disturbing attack.

Juveniles committing crimes know perfectly well they will probably be bailed if caught, and they appear to have little fear of any punishment any subsequent court proceedings will administer.

Concurrent with that attitude is an apparent total absence of any capacity to grasp the emotional impact that vicious attacks like this have on ordinary people.

Mr Justus was still trying to get himself and his family back on an even emotional keel on Tuesday, and that task alone could take months if not years.

But by Wednesday he had been flung back to the horror of the Sunday attack after watching one of his alleged assailants mocking the investigating police.

This paper has been consistent in its calls for social media giants to stamp out postings which glorify crimes as they are in progress, such as footage from a stolen car.

Those calls will continue.

But social media posts such as the one Mr Justus and his family are contending with represent something perhaps more disturbing than footage of mindless youths speeding down a highway pursued by police, fantasising they are characters in a Hollywood action film.

That one so young could have developed the confidence to publicly express such utter contempt and disregard for our system of law enforcement represents a strange sort of sophisticated cynicism – a new, and deeply disturbing, mentality.

NO TIME TO GO SLOW ON HOUSING FIX

It is pretty weird that in the middle of a housing crisis a senior Palaszczuk government minister seems determined to make it harder for people to build homes in Queensland.

And yet that is exactly what Public Works Minister Mick de Brenni is doing by pledging to pursue the recommendation of an accreditation process for property developers from the “Independent Developer Review Panel” that he appointed. He promised not to “drag our feet” on the move.

Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with demanding proper oversight of industries to ensure people are properly protected for either their investment or business costs.

But to consider the imposition of a new regulatory regime on a suddenly critical industry already almost on its knees is a questionable priority for the government. It comes just two days after Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon, acting for Planning Minister Steven Miles, made a number of demands relating to the Brisbane City Council’s proposed new high-rises scheme for South Brisbane that could delay its implementation – if only because the government is signalling its intention to be involved.

With building costs skyrocketing at the same time as there is unprecedented demand on a market with short supply we ask: why does this government seem so intent to get in the way of development?

We also ask, as an aside, should union officials also have to face a “fit and proper” person test as Minister de Brenni is considering imposing on registered developers?

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details here

Originally published as Editorial: Accused teens laughing in the face of justice