A 15-year-old boy who attacked a man with a machete during a mugging in St Kilda will remain in custody, deemed a danger to the community. The magistrate denied his bail request following his guilty plea for the incident on January 12, where he stole a phone from a 39-year-old man and then struck him in the head as he attempted to escape.
The boy has a history of offending, including car thefts and high-speed driving, and pleaded guilty to multiple assaults over several months. The magistrate expressed serious concerns about the risk he posed if released, stating, “Someone was clearly scared but also hurt – they were hurt badly.”
Further compounding the severity of his actions, the boy had previously brought a hunting knife to school and was seen online with a machete. His legal counsel highlighted that he has autism, ADHD, and a low IQ, which made his time in custody particularly challenging. They argued for bail pending a pre-sentence report, but the magistrate considered his history of violent behaviour while on intensive bail conditions before the incident, and ultimately decided to keep him detained for the protection of the community.