You can pretty much predict how this report will go without even reading it. Violent African teen thug with a rap sheet longer than his family’s tenure in Australia. Revolving-door bail. Shockingly brutal crime. Involving machetes. Bailed yet again by yet another soft-touch judge.
You get the picture – but this case is even more shocking than most. Yes, even for Melbourne.
Indian migrant Saurabh Anand, 33, was minding his own business doing his shopping at a busy shopping centre when he was accosted by a gang of African thugs aged between 14 and 15. In a ‘swarm’ attack, they surrounded him, punching him in the head and rummaging through his pockets. When Anand instinctively held up his hand to protect himself, one of the savages hacked into his arm with a machete, nearly severing his hand.
It’s only through miracle surgery that Anand has a hand at all. He lives in constant pain from his shocking injuries.
And his attackers are walking the streets, free to commit more crimes.
Justice Christopher Beale turned the brutal criminal loose, despite his known gang affiliation, record of attacking staff and making threats while locked up in youth detention. Astonishingly, the judge said, “I wish you the best of luck.”
Worse, in a statement so ludicrous it sounds like a comedy sketch, this followed the judge giving him a week to, pretty please, be a good boy in jail. Seriously.
Last week, Supreme Court Judge Christopher Beale granted the child a week to prove he could behave in custody, after the court heard he had been involved in a string of alleged assaults and threats on staff at Parkville Youth Justice Precinct.
“Over the next week or so, his actions in custody will speak much louder than words,” Justice Beale said at the time.
“That report better come back saying there’s been no incidents of him assaulting or threatening anybody, if it does that will be a very significant factor in (his) favour.”
Even then, the violent little shit couldn’t behave himself.
On Thursday, the court was told the report contained no incidents of threats or assaults, but two incidents relating to property damage.
Yet, still the judge turned him loose.
In handing down his decision, Justice Beale said the long term protection of the community would be better served by removing the teenager from custody, and reintegrating him with his grandparents and school.
Well, Your Honour, if you’re so confident he’s not a continuing threat, put him up at yours. Put your money where your mouth is.
After all, you’re expecting everyone else, including their victims, to have to live with these murderous savages. Just not you.
If judges and politicians were forced to personally live with the consequences of their rulings, one might suspect they wouldn’t be quite such soft touches, all of a sudden.
