Ipswich child traumatised after being ‘ganged up upon’ at Redbank Plaza

A mother says her daughter is a “prisoner in her own home” and has been pulled from school after being set upon at an Ipswich shopping centre, as a chorus of parents share their own youth crime horror stories.

Parents elect for homeschooling after youth crime shopping horror. Picture: News Corp Australia (left), Camden Jeff (right)

Ipswich parents have shared horror stories as an alarming number of children fall victim to assaults and bullying at shopping centres — with some going as far as removing their traumatised children from school.

One local parent posted a thank you to Facebook after a person helped daughter when she was “ganged up upon” at Redbank Plaza. The post has sparked a flood of parents sharing similar horror stories.

Ipswich resident Sheri Whittaker shared her daughter’s own experience at Redbank Plaza, saying the girl had been “jumped” by three girls who “she didn’t even know”.

“She is 12 years old and now hates coming to the shop with me. This has to stop,” she commented.

Ms Whittaker elaborated when speaking to The Queensland Times, saying she was grateful a woman at the centre helped her daughter, who she said came home with “marks on her head where she had been hit”.

Ms Whittaker said both of her children have had similar experiences at other public locations recently, adding that her son had been “jumped on” at a local train station and that her daughter was “chased by a group of boys”, one allegedly holding a knife, from the station to her friend’s house.

“It’s terrifying for them and myself as a parent,” she said.
“My daughter doesn’t like going anywhere without me now and kind of is a prisoner in her own home.”

Many other Redbank Plains residents shared their children’s experiences, with one woman alleging her son was “ganged up” on by five boys while trick or treating at Redbank Plains Town Square, and that one of the other boys had a knife.

Another woman said her own daughter was afraid to go out after a similar incident at Redbank Plaza, and that she had started homeschooling since.

“It breaks my heart. Innocent kids set upon by these ferals … It’s disgusting that our babies aren’t safe at a set of shops,” she said.

A spokesman for Redbank Plaza said the centre had a proactive security team which was aware of the prevalence of youth crime.

“Our team is passionate about the community and the shopping centre, and our priority is to always maintain a safe shopping environment for our customers and retailers,” they said.

“Any issues are dealt with swiftly and in partnership with our local Police Beat.”

Earlier this year, The Queensland Times took a deep dive into local shopping centre crime which revealed the Redbank shopping hub was not alone when it came to incidents of alleged assaults, among other alleged crimes.

Another woman said her own daughter was afraid to go out after a similar incident at Redbank Plaza, and that she had started homeschooling. Picture: News Limited

According to Queensland Police statistics, six alleged assaults have been reported from Redbank Plaza in the past six months, 13 in the past year, and 25 in the past two years.

At Redbank Plains Town Square, there have been five assaults alleged to have been committed in the past six months, 15 in the past year and 22 in the past two years.

Reports of youth crime appear to be on the rise, with many local parents coming forward in recent months to report violence wreaking havoc over local schools and spilling out into the community.

In August, Minister for Youth Justice Leanne Linard announced a raft of new programs that would be implemented statewide to help police tackle the “complex issue”.

“We asked for proposals that could create lasting, meaningful changes by addressing the disadvantage typically experienced by teens in the youth justice system, and that’s exactly what we received,” she said.

Ipswich youth organisation, Fearless Towards Success, announced at the time they would deliver an intensive six-month program to help young offenders reintegrate with the community, as part of the statewide project.

Ms Whittaker said she had actually started homeschooling because of her children’s experiences, saying her daughter “was just too scared and still is to go anywhere”.

“It started when my daughter was suspended from [her school] for getting into a fight … While she was suspended from the school she kept getting threats from students at that school saying if she comes back they are going to get her.”

Ms Whittaker said her daughter tried changing schools, but her problems continued until Ms Whittaker eventually decided to pull her out of traditional school completely.

The ABC reported last October that homeschooling had skyrocketed after the COVID-19 pandemic, with Home Education Association president Karen Chegwidden saying the home was simply a “much less distracting, much lower-stress environment” for many children.

Ultimately, Ms Whittaker said the very real experience of local children being victimised by youth crime simply “needs to be heard”.

“It’s a serious issue that really needs more awareness … no education is worth losing your self confidence and happiness.”

Originally published as Ipswich child traumatised after being ‘ganged up upon’ at Redbank Plaza