Judge lashes girl’s parents

A JUDGE has lashed the parents of a teenage girl for their “incompetence and uselessness” while sentencing her for a string of violent offences.

The Cairns District Court heard the 16-year-old threw a knife at a 12-year-old, bashed a youth after stealing his scooter alongside a co-offender and kicked and spat on a police officer during three months of offending in Innisfail last year.

The court heard of the teen’s horrific upbringing where she was “left to raise herself” and was witness to multiple incidents of domestic violence and drug abuse.

Judge Brad Farr sentenced the girl to 12 months’ detention with immediate release on a conditional order after she pleaded guilty to wounding, robbery with violence in company, assault occasioning bodily harm and serious assault police. He described her behaviour as “serious and disgraceful”, but also pointed the finger of blame at the girl’s family.

“Your parents are as much to blame for your behaviour as you are,” he said.

“However, you are the one who committed these offences and you’re the one who has to be dealt with.”

He said that she now had several “professional people” in her life, which she had never had before and urged her to “try and make something of yourself”.

Crown prosecutor Naomi Nelson told the court the wounding incident happened in April last year when she believed a 12-year-old girl who was staying at her house was talking about her on the phone. She said they had an argument after the phone call where she threw a lighter, which hit her in the head, then picked up a knife from the kitchen, which she also threw, leaving a 3cm wound in the younger girl’s arm, which cut into the muscle.

A month later, she and another teen stole a youth’s scooter and she retaliated when the victim began filming them, repeatedly punching him until a nearby resident came out of a house to intervene.

During her arrest for a disturbance in June, the court heard she also repeatedly kicked a male police officer then spat on his face.

Defence barrister James Sheridan also highlighted the girl’s poor upbringing and a “lack of care given by any caregivers” and said she wanted to eventually find work in the construction industry.