A 15 YEAR OLD Carrum Downs youth has been remanded to the Malmsbury Youth Training Centre for allegedly assaulting a female bottle shop attendant at Seaford on Wednesday night.
The youth, who is well known to police, was spotted by the 65-year-old IGA employee allegedly hiding a bottle of alcohol under his coat. Police will allege that, when the woman approached, he allegedly punched and kicked her twice, then struck her head with the bottle, splitting open her eyebrow.
Detective Sergeant Alistair Hanson, of Frankston Crime Investigation Unit, said CCTV footage shows the youth then opening the fridge and allegedly stealing more alcohol before running off.
Police attended and tracked him down but, when confronted, the youth allegedly threw a bottle at them before being arrested.
The youth, who has been charged with 137 previous offences, including armed robbery, assault, affray, theft, and other violence-related matters, was 13 when he first came to police attention.
“We genuinely try to support his rehabilitation – to get him on the right track,” Det. Hanson said. “So does his mother, who provides him with a roof and a bed when he’s home, but, of course, he is sometimes very hard to control.
“He has become accustomed to all kinds of substance abuse – such as paint sniffing – as well as alcohol and drugs.
“Understandably, the courts are very reluctant to convict him because of his young age.”
The youth will appear at the Melbourne Children’s Court on 19 June charged with armed robbery (bottle), recklessly causing serious injury, recklessly causing injury and two charges of assaulting police.
